


The Best of Us

by campnowhere



Series: The Best of Us [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Baby!Carter, F/F, Supergirl au, Witness Protection, alternative universe, cowgirl!kara
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-08-10 21:42:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 29,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7862239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/campnowhere/pseuds/campnowhere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Star journalist Cat Grant digs too deep into her latest expose and finds herself and her young son whisked away into protective custody to a mountainside home with a very interesting host. How will she cope with being cut off from the outside world and will her mountain hideaway be far enough to escape Maxwell Lord's reach?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Cat’s lip curls in distaste when dust billows around her heels as she steps down from the front seat of the dark SUV. She hasn’t seen another human being in miles and now, as she turns a wide circle in the sunshine, she is sure she knows why. 

Sure, it’s pretty. Snow-capped mountains rise up in the not-too-far distance behind gold and green hills and the cool, late September breeze blows her unruly curls into her eyes. Rustic wooden fences separate the multi-colored fields for miles and she wrinkles her nose again when she sees livestock of some sort. Must she live with the cows and horses just because she’s an exceptional journalist? All because she caught her subject right at the wrong place at the wrong time?

She gives up her search for inhabitants and turns quickly to gather Carter from the car seat in the back of the dark vehicle. He’s been asleep since they’d been picked up from the tiny airport and she has stalled any conversation with the Marshall driving by using Carter’s nap as an excuse. Apparently, that is no longer an option.

“Miss Grant,” Marshall James Olsen addresses her softly, “let me show you inside. We can get your son settled and we can go over a few things.” He already has her bags in hand, even Carter’s dinosaur backpack is slung over one shoulder, and he is taking the stone steps two at a time to reach the heavy wooden door to hold it open for her.

She hates how nice he is. She hates how handsome he is as well, and how considerate he is of her young son. She wants to hate all of them…every last one of the authorities who have forced her out of her home to some secluded mountain shack to be locked away for a month in the middle of god-knows-where. 

‘Okay, maybe it isn’t a shack’ she thinks to herself as she walks into the open living room, looking up into the vaulted ceilings, fully expecting to see animal carcasses hanging on every open surface, but there are none. There are beautiful paintings scattered about, some of the mountains like the ones you can see from the front porch, others of rocky cliffs and ocean like the ones she is accustomed to on the coast of California. It’s simple and tasteful and the rustic boards which make up the walls and ceiling give it a cozy feeling she never thought she’d find in the middle of fucking nowhere.

“Miss Grant, the kitchen is fully stocked, especially with the things you specifically requested. Deliveries will be made bi-weekly to make sure you have everything you could possible need. The house is all yours for you and your son until you’re out of our protective custody at the end of the month.” James pauses, giving time for questions for his high-profile witness. When he gets none, he continues, “Everything you need is here.”

Cat turns slowly once more, taking in the whole of the home in which she will be sequestered to for the next 30 days, trying to find something which she can make a fuss over. When she comes up empty, she sighs, rubbing her hand softly over the back of Carter’s back, where he still sleeps peacefully on her shoulder. “And if I do need something that you haven’t provided, Marshall? Who do I contact then? You’ve taken away every communication device I own.” 

James smiles. “We have someone here for you, Miss Grant. This is actually their home and property, but under such high-profile cases as yours, sometimes these arrangements are made to keep you the most comfortable that the federal government can possible provide.” He disappears for a moment into what Cat can see is a spacious kitchen. When he returns, he has a very simple walkie-talkie in his hand. “We want you to have your privacy, Miss Grant. So anytime you need anything, you can contact the Marshall on site on this walkie. A response will come immediately, guaranteed.”

Cat takes it between two fingers, wrinkling her nose at the simplicity of it all, “Anything?”, she asks sarcastically. 

“Absolutely anything, Miss Grant.” James nods in certainty, but seeing the wicked smirk being thrown his way, he feels obliged to add, “Within reason, of course.”  
“Of course, Marshall.” She sighs again. How had she gotten herself into this mess? It was just one story that she couldn’t leave to the junior reporters to investigate, and now this. Caught up in a federal trial in protective custody in an honest-to-god Montana log cabin.

She’s put her son in danger and it leaves her quaking in fear at night, to know that not only are they out for her, they’re after her precious boy as well. He is the only reason she agreed to this asinine plan in the first place. Cat Grant doesn’t run, unless it’s to protect the thing most precious to her. That thing is, Carter, her adored, almost 3-year-old son that is now causing the muscles in her arms to burn with the effort of holding him in his slumber. 

She spots a wide, comfy couch against the far wall and takes slow steps to make sure he stays asleep. She lays him down softly on his stomach, his fists wound tight in dreams of what she hopes can only be happy things. It’s only been hours since he was ripped from his normal, everyday schedule and she hopes that it doesn’t affect him too much. She longs for the time they’ll have together here in the next month, but hopes that when things are over, it doesn’t make it too hard to go back to her 10 hour days and sometimes sleepless nights.

“Miss Grant,” she hears from the handsome Marshall once again. He waits for her acknowledgment before continuing, “I just want you to know that even though this is an inconvenience to your normal lifestyle, I assure you this is the safest place on the planet for you and your son.” He stops to meet her eyes and she can see that he is truly sincere. “The Marshall here, would do anything to make sure you two stay safe. I guarantee you that.”

She searches his eyes for any doubt, but can see only earnestness. He knows this is the safest place for her and she is in no position to argue. “Thank you, Marshall Olsen. I appreciate the care that you’ve taken in transporting my son and I to our temporary home. I assure you, I will do absolutely nothing that could compromise our whereabouts.”  
He nods happily. “Thank you, Miss Grant. I know this is a huge change for you, but I can’t thank you enough for the sacrifice you’re making for the people of National City. To put Lord away…the importance just can’t be put into words. He has hurt so many people in such unfathomable ways.” He stops, shaking his head lightly at the weight of his words. “Really. Thank you.”

Cat is floored by his declaration and it only makes it more important for her to deal with her situation in the best way possible. Acceptance. She needs to accept her situation, see it as an opportunity to bond even more with her son and take the time away from work as a blessing, not a curse. 

“I’m only doing what’s right, Marshall. I’m glad people like you are here to protect me.”

James nods. “We’re dedicated to our jobs, Miss Grant. That’s for sure.” He turns to look at one of the paintings on the wall, a sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean from the front porch of a quaint home. She sees him smile before shaking his head wryly and making his way to the front door. “Don’t forget, Miss Grant,” he says with another wide smile, “anything you need…” he points at the walkie in her hand. 

“Yes, Marshall.”

\--------------------------------------------------------

She enjoys a quiet, pleasant afternoon and evening before she even thinks about anyone else being nearby. They sit on the old wooden swing on the porch wrapped up together in a blanket and point out the mountains in the distance as the well as the cows and horses…as far as Cat can tell. They’re still a good distance away. Carter settles in well and after a simple dinner they happily fall asleep together on the king sized bed in the master bedroom, waking up slowly to the sun streaming in through the double windows facing the east. 

As Carter dozes again after breakfast, she wanders throughout the spacious place that she will call home for the next month. The other two bedrooms are smaller, but no less comfortable and she finds what looks like a studio…maybe those paintings aren’t stock warehouse works after all, she muses, drawing her fingers over a blank canvas set up in front of the window. There are a few barely started pieces propped against the wall, but she reigns in her curiosity just enough not to pry. This artist has given up their home after all, she can mind her own business…for a while.

She wanders back downstairs to the kitchen a while later to figure out what to make for lunch. God, she takes her assistant for granted. What she wouldn’t give for a lettuce wrap right now.

What she also wouldn’t give for her laptop right now. Or her tablet. Or her phone. God, she also takes the internet for granted. As a woman who sits at almost the top of the information food chain, it may literally kill her to be on a techno diet for the next 30 days. Honestly, witness protection does not have to be witness isolation. Even cable would do, but there is nothing, nothing in this house except for a select few classic dvds, a massive collection of music and more books than she can count. Books are amazing, except they don’t give her current events. 

She wants world news, election news, even celebrity gossip for god’s sake…

Movement outside the front window catches her eye and before she can even think about what she’s doing, she has darted to the master bedroom and scooped Carter up in her arms, has her back plastered to the back wall of the cabin. Her breathing is sharp and she knows that she is being irrational. She’s literally hours and hours away from anywhere near where the people who are after her would look…and they would never look here, on the side of a mountaintop in Montana, in a log cabin with no connection to the outside world.

She edges her way slowly to the door of the room, Carter is groggy but about to make his presence known loudly if she doesn’t soothe him soon. She leans her head around the doorjamb, far enough to see out of the double windows that lead to the porch. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees…cows.

Cows. Right in front of the house, taking over the gravel driveway and uncaring of the few and far between landscaping attempts which litter the front lawn. 

Carter is awake now, lifting his head and blinking his big blue eyes slowly at the sight. “Moos?” he asks softly and Cat can’t help but smile. 

“Yes, darling. Moo cows…just like we learned.” 

She buries her head in his neck when she sees him sound it out again with his mouth, ‘Moooos’. She thinks that maybe this whole ordeal is worth seeing him experience this for the first time, but then she feels his whole body stiffen and she quickly straightens to see what he sees. She’s quick to take a few more steps toward the front door when she gets a good look. 

“Mama, horsie.” 

“Yes, Carter that is a horse…” she trails off as she pushes their way out onto the front porch and she sees the sight on top of that giant, dark horse. She’s not sure what she expected of her nearby Marshall, but she’s damn sure it wasn’t this. A young woman, dressed in what you would expect to see of a Montana cowboy sitting on top of that massive beast…worn jeans and chaps, a light colored button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and the brown boots rounding out the image. The only thing Cat can imagine is missing is the cowboy hat…but she doesn’t mind, because long blonde hair is trailing behind her as she rounds up the loose cattle, her voice only heard in the calls out to the Australian shepherd which is running circles around the cattle, herding them back into the open gate a ways down the fence line.

They watch from the front porch as the last few cattle are directed through the gate and back into their rightful home. “Mama, moos,” Carter hums once again, more than excited by all the new things he has seen this morning.

“Yes, Carter,” she says distractedly as the blonde makes a circle back towards the house, trotting slowly up, realizing that she could startle the young boy with the animal. 

She comes to a stop a few feet from the front steps. “Miss Grant. I’m so sorry for the disturbance, I think James may have left the gate open when he left yesterday,” she pauses, resettling herself in her saddle and pulling lightly on the reigns to keep the horse steady. “I’m Kara, Kara Danvers. I’ll be here with you on the ranch during your time here.”

“You’re the Marshall?” Cat asks incredulously, her eyes taking one more wide sweep of the woman sat atop the tall horse.

“I am,” Kara says with a wry smile, “but I’d prefer it if you called me Kara.”


	2. Chapter 2

“So, you’re telling me that even with the entirety of the most advanced technology known to man, most of which is not even available to the military at this point in time, that you can’t give me even a vague location of one slight, blonde, infuriating woman?” Maxwell Lord ticks those last few adjectives off on the fingers of one hand as he paces in the darkened room. The only light shines down upon the long table in the middle of the room and the man sitting in the dark suit only shakes his head. 

“I’ve used every resource we have available, Mr. Lord, every inside or back alley source we have and we have nothing. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the planet.” His voice is pleading, the tremor in it is obvious and he squirms uncomfortably as a bead of sweat drops down his forehead. 

The response only agitates Max more and he brings his fingers together in a sharp point in front of his forehead. He huffs out a long breath. “I want information in my hands within 24 hours. I don’t care who you have to kill to get it, but if you don’t know at least the state that she is hiding in, I will kill you myself.” He stops to rest his hands upon the table, spread out wide so that he can loom over the other man to deliver his threat. “Are we understood?” he asks with a maniacal smile, lifting his hands in an asking gesture to the sides.

The dark suited man gulps noticeably, “Yes, Mr. Lord. I’ll find the information you’re looking for.”

“Good,” Max says sharply. “Now, get out of my sight.” He dismisses him with a sharp wave of his hand in the vague direction of the door. He paces again in the dark room, seething at his lack of information, blistering in anger over the troublesome infiltration of his life’s work by some media-glamming, investigative journalist. As he voices the words in his head, he lifts his fingers to form the sarcastic quotation marks, which is how his next visitor finds him.

“Mr. Lord?” a decidedly seductive, female voice asks.

He whirls in place at the interruption, dropping his hands to his pockets quickly. “Yes. You are?”

The brunette holds out one hand, cocking one hip out, bringing out the sharp curve of her body and the devious smile on her face. “Federal Marshall Siobhan Smythe, Mr. Lord. I believe that with some creative bargaining, I may be able to help you with the information you’re seeking on one Miss Catherine Grant.”

\-------------------------------------------------

It’s twenty-four hours before Cat sees the young Marshall again. After their brief introduction yesterday, Cat’s thoughts have strayed to the blonde woman more times than she cares to admit. She blames it on the isolation and the lack of adult conversation. She’s talked about livestock with Carter more in the past day than she has in all of her years and she thinks it may be enough to last her the rest of her life. 

The morning brings overcast skies and a dreary drizzle which makes Cat grateful for the gas fireplace in the spacious living room to knock off the damp chill in the air. After making them both breakfast, they settle in on the plush carpet in front of the fire for the first of many rare, informal mornings. Carter loves it and splits his time between chasing his eggs around his plate with his fork and gazing out of the foggy window beside the fireplace looking for his beloved ‘moos’. 

After cleaning up their dishes, she begins making herself another cup of coffee and Cat hears a low rumble outside right before she hears the words ‘truck truck, mama’ come from her son’s mouth. She ducks her head quickly to the kitchen window to make out her Marshall sliding out of a monstrosity of a vehicle. The truck is gigantic and silver, at least on top. The bottom half is caked with mud from the past few rainy days. Kara delivers on Cat’s expectation from yesterday when she slips a pale cowboy hat onto her head to divert the drizzle. Otherwise, she’s dressed much the same…faded jeans and boots, but this time with a lightly colored plaid shirt open over a soft t-shirt. 

Kara shuts the driver side door of her truck, only to spy Carter’s face smushed against the glass of the storm door. She ducks a little and smiles widely, lifting her fingers to wiggle them in the direction of the young boy, who immediately collapses in giggles upon seeing his ‘cowboy’ again.

Cat rolls her eyes at her son’s antics, scoops him up into her arms and steps out onto the front porch as she sees the young woman reaching into the back seat of the giant truck to retrieve two neatly packed paper grocery bags which are full to the brim. 

Kara steps quickly out of the drizzle onto the steps of the porch, pausing slightly when she sees the appraising look on the older woman’s face, “Good morning, Miss Grant. I have your groceries.”

“I can see that, Marshall. Please come in out of this wonderful weather.” Cat steps back a bit, holding the storm door open wide for Kara to go through, but not before she pauses to toe off her cowboy boots at the door, dropping them on the mat to the left side. Cat lifts an eyebrow, but follows without a word as Kara walks into the spacious kitchen to place the bags on the island. Carter is struck with a bout of shyness and leans his head heavily into his mom’s neck, but not enough that he can’t watch every move his ‘cowboy’ makes.

As soon as the bags are out of her arms, Kara reaches up to tug her hat off of her head and leans over to hang it on the hook on the side of one of the walls of built-in cabinetry. Carter spies it immediately and reaches his tiny hand out toward the hat in a ‘gimme’ motion, which Cat quickly stalls with a grasp of her hand and a sloppy kiss to his palm. He dissolves in giggles once again and when Cat looks up, she is once again met with that blinding smile from her guest.

“I guess this is Mister Carter Grant,” Kara says softly. Carter hears his name and smiles shyly once again, ducking his head towards his mom. At Cat’s nod, Kara continues, “My name is Kara. I’ll be dropping some things off for you and your mom.” She tilts her head when she sees his smile get bigger, “Maybe we can be friends.”

He leans back a little from the safety of his mom’s neck, “Cowboy?” he asks in his tiny voice.

Kara chuckles, more in response to the smirk on Cat’s face than anything. “Yes, you can just call me cowboy if you want.” At his acceptance of her answer, she turns back to the groceries on the counter.

“I can do that, Marshall, thank you.” Kara pauses, looks to her to be sure. “Please, it’ll give me something to do. I’m not accustomed to so much free time.” 

“Of course, Miss Grant. Is there anything else I can do for you while I’m here?” Kara asks politely.

“Yes, actually, I followed your instructions for the fireplace, but could you check it just to be sure before you leave?”

Kara smiles widely at the request, “Of course.” She follows her two hosts into the living room, grabbing her hat off of the hook on her way. She’s settled it back on her head by the time she’s crouching in front of the warm flames, checking the few things that need to be looked after in its use and stretches her fingers out in front to catch the warmth. “Everything looks perfect, Miss Grant. The central heat is nice, but I’ve always enjoyed the fireplace here in the living room.”

“Yes, it is quite cozy, Marshall.”

Kara chuckles as she looks down at her socked feet, “You’re not going to call me by name, are you?”

Cat smirks in response, keeping a hand on Carter as he gains more courage by the second to get closer to his guest. “It’s doubtful, Marshall.”

Kara stands slowly. “Well, maybe I can get you to change your mind, Miss Grant,” she says softly before stepping towards the front door. “If you need anything, please let me know. I’ll probably be in the barn till this rain passes over, but I’ll be out and about again later. Bye, Carter,” she says brightly, waving down at the little boy currently climbing onto the couch to get a better view.

He doesn’t respond, but lifts his hand to squeeze his little fingers in and out a few times in Kara’s direction with a tiny smile. Cat steps behind him to hold a hand to his back to steady his legs on the uneven surface. “Thank you for the groceries,” she says again, gifting Kara with a tiny smile of her own. 

“Anytime, Miss Grant.”

\---------------------------------------------

The dreary skies have cleared by the early evening and Cat and Carter are sitting on the wooden front porch swing to take in the coming sunset. It’s cool, but they are both dressed warmly and Cat has thrown an unbelievably soft throw which she found in the hall closet over their laps to ward off the damp chill of the breeze blowing across the valley the house is nestled in. 

They spent the day quietly, Cat reading on the couch, while Carter played with his dinosaurs on the plush rug in the living room. He loves looking out the windows searching for anything new and sitting in front of the low fire holding out his little fingers like he saw his ‘cowboy’ do to warm them up. He naps often and loves the snacks made by his mommy and Cat enjoys watching Snow White with him for the first time more than she will ever admit to anyone. She takes note of the other classic animated films in the Marshall’s collection for other rainy days.

Dinner was a simple affair and Cat wonders if her son would grow up easier in an environment as still and quiet as this one, no daycare or nannies to take her spot as his caregiver. She is still in the harsh adjustment mode of social media flood to literal silence, but with every passing minute she spends in this house seeing him take in all the new experiences, she wonders if this is the better choice.

She spots a familiar furry figure darting up the fence line towards the house before her son, so she leans over a bit to point his gaze in the right direction. Carter’s eyes immediately widen at the sight and the ‘woof’ leaves his lips with a giggle. The multicolored shepherd continues along the fence past the house and when Cat looks back, her Marshall has already appeared over the hillside like some ridiculous western rescue scene. Her pale hat is firmly upon her head, but the blonde hair flows freely behind her back and now to round out the cliché building in the back of Cat’s mind, Kara is wearing a dark, long coat, the tails of it whipping in the wind as the enormous horse thunders up the hill.

She’s broken out of what she will soon call her mid-life-crisis-witness-protection-fantasy by Carter’s exuberant pointing. “Mama, puppy!”

Cat looks down to the bottom of the steps to find the shepherd sitting obediently at the bottom, with not even a hint of exertion. It’s a beautiful dog, apparently well-mannered too, and has one startling blue eye that catches your attention.

“Her name is Artie,” Kara says as she trots up slowly. 

“Artie?” Cat asks incredulously. “You named a beautiful dog like this, Artie?”

Kara chuckles from her perch. “Well, it is short for ‘Artemis’. You know, goddess of the hunt and all.”

Cat tilts her head slightly. Maybe there is more to her Marshall than she thought. “What about the horse?” she asks with a jerk of her chin towards the giant, dark beast.

“Horsie,” Kara deadpans. At the roll of Cat’s eyes, she gives in. “His name is Mason.” At the older woman’s inquisitive look she continues, “Ok, so that one is not so majestic. I loved watching ‘Perry Mason’ reruns as a kid.

Cat chuckles and struggles to keep her arms around Carter who is standing in the swing now, too excited that there are two animals and his ‘cowboy’ in view. “I loved that show, too. It’s probably one of the contributing factors into my career as an investigative journalist.” 

Kara smiles and nods in acknowledgement, “And a good one at that.”

Cat can only shake her head as she says softly, softer than she thinks anyone can hear, “Yeah, look where it’s gotten us.”

Kara stills for a minute, thinks about what this successful woman is doing just to report the truth, to protect others that can’t protect themselves. She begins speaking even before she knows what she really wants to convey, except gratitude. “What you’re doing, Miss Grant, what you’ve done…you’ve made sacrifices that not a lot of people would make for the truth. Being here in the middle of nowhere, away from your home and your life…you’re doing this to bring injustices to light, to put away the bad guys.” Kara pauses for a seconds, hoping she hasn’t overstepped, but only sees curiosity in Cat’s gaze. “You’re protecting the innocent, and from what I’ve been briefed on, you’re protecting the people that have nowhere else to turn.” She stops again, takes a deep breath when she thinks about the things that this brave woman has seen and will testify to. “You’re a hero, Miss Grant.”

Cat swallows thickly. “Thank you for saying that.” She looks up again to those blue, blue eyes. “I’ll promise you just like I promised Marshall Olsen, I won’t do anything to jeopardize this.”

“Neither will we, you have my word.” After a few moments and at the other woman’s nod, Kara decides to lighten the mood. “So, my aunt runs a restaurant in town and she’s passing by in the morning. She is a coffee connoisseur, so I was wondering what your go-to morning drink is, Miss Grant?” Kara thinks she may see the woman’s mouth begin to water.

There is no hesitation. “Latte. Non-fat. Hotter than the sun.”

Kara chuckles again as she begins Mason in his turn towards her temporary home, “Yes, Ma’am. Anything you want…”

Cat fixes her with a glare. “Marshall, don’t call me Ma’am. This isn't the old west.”

Kara can only smile wide in response as she begins to trot away, “Actually, Miss Grant, it kind of is,” she throws back with a wink and a tip of her hat.


	3. Chapter 3

Cat is splashing water on her face the next morning when she hears a truck’s rumble from outside. She hasn’t been up long enough to shower and dress, so she tugs her robe tighter around her small figure and ducks into the living room just in time to see Kara shrugging out of her coat and shaking the raindrops off of her hat on the front porch. Even drenched from the steady rain outside, the young Marshall still looks like a model playing dress-up in a cowgirl’s closet and Cat rolls her eyes as she thinks of her own appearance…just rolled out of bed after a fitful night’s sleep, no makeup, and with barely a chance to run a brush through her hair.

She steps quickly to open the front door, wincing at the cooler air she feels rushing in the door and ushers Kara in, after she’s kicked off her muddy boots of course. “Morning, Miss Grant,” Kara says cheerfully as she hands over a tall insulated mug.

Cat doesn’t respond, only takes the mug in her hands and flips open the top to bring it to her lips. She shuts her eyes and moans as she swallows the piping hot, creamy concoction. She savors it for just a few seconds before meeting Kara’s eyes with a smile. Cat smirks inwardly when she sees the light blush covering her Marshall’s cheeks. “Good morning to you too, Marshall. Your aunt is an angel.”

“I’ll tell her you said so,” Kara says with a chuckle. “I’m sorry if I woke you, I needed to get an early start today. There’s a cold front coming through tonight and I need to get this hay out into the grazing field.”

Cat gives her a confused look for a minute, then glances out the front door to spy the almost overflowing stacks of rectangular shaped hay bales in the back of Kara’s truck. “You’re going to put all that out yourself?” she asks with disbelief. 

Kara just smiles in response. “It’s not that bad, really. Just a lot of starting and stopping when I’m by myself, but I really should get to it, I guess. You and Carter stay warm, let me know if you need anything, ok?” She’s turning towards the door already when she hears a tiny voice from behind her.

“Cowboy!” Carter yells, running across the spacious living room as fast as his little legs can take him. He’s dressed in his dinosaur footie pajamas, the textured feet giving him purchase on the hardwood floors and in just a moment, he is at Kara’s feet, giggling as he tugs on one of the knees of her worn blue-jeans. “Cowboy?” he asks again, holding his arms high in the universal toddler speak of ‘up!’.

Cat looks on as the obviously startled young woman reaches down and hauls up her precious cargo. “Well, good morning to you too, Carter,” Kara says with a smile so wide it seems to overtake her whole face. Her heart warms as she watches him grab his little hands onto the wide brim of Kara’s pale hat. She takes another long sip of her still steaming hot coffee and sighs. 

“You know, Miss Grant, I could always use a chauffeur out in the field this morning….and I bet Carter would make an excellent back seat driver.”

Cat freezes. “I’m sorry, what?”

Kara chuckles, “You and Carter could accompany me in my hay delivery. He could get a lot closer to the cows that way and you guys could get out of the house for a bit. No worries if you’re not up to it,” she says with a little glint in her eye.

Cat narrows her eyes a bit in challenge, “Of course we’re up for it, Marshall, but Carter doesn’t have his car seat and I’m not letting him in a vehicle without it, even if your truck qualifies as an oversized load.”

“Oh, his car seat is already hooked up in the back seat.” She stops as she sees Cat’s eyes widen. “James dropped it off with me in case of an emergency.”

“Well,” Cat says with an indignant sniff, “I guess we’re feeding the cows today, Carter,” she finishes, raking her fingers through his brown curls.

Carter is immediately more invested in the conversation and drops his hands from Kara’s hat. “Moos?”

\------------------------------------

Carter is popping cheerios into his mouth and giggling at Kara as she makes funny faces from the couch while his mom tugs him into his long pants. Thick socks and shoes come next before Cat deems him dressed warmly enough to go outside for the morning. “Ok, Carter, come with mommy while she gets dressed,” she says rising to her feet and reaching down a hand.

“I can watch him while you’re getting dressed, Miss Grant. That way he can finish his breakfast,” Kara says as she swipes a single cheerio off of the plate in front of him and pops it in her mouth. He dissolves into giggles again and moves his plate further away from her to stop more of her thieving.

“Oh,” Cat says softly. She’s never seen him take to anyone so quickly before and she doesn’t quite know how to handle it. “Um, I’ll just be…” she says as she points vaguely in the direction of the bedroom. At Kara’s nod, she turns away, slipping the robe from her shoulders just before she reaches the darkened room. It leaves her in just her thin camisole and silken pajama pants and as she takes one last look back to the living room, she catches her Marshall’s blue, blue eyes tracking her every movement. Realizing she’s been caught, Kara blushes to the tips of her ears and starts talking to Carter once again. Cat is unable to peel the smirk from her face while she gets dressed.

Several minutes later, she emerges from the bedroom to find her little boy playing ‘patty cake’ with his cowboy, with a hat almost as big as he is sitting on top of his head.

\---------------------------------------

Surprisingly, Cat enjoys herself immensely on their little adventure. Carter is ensconced happily in his high perch in the back seat, able to see his beloved ‘moos’ lingering a short distance away from the quiet rumble of the pickup. She’s following the fence line, just like Kara told her and bouncing her head happily to the music on the radio. Every hundred feet or so, she feels the bounce as Kara hops off the tailgate of the truck to tug down another hay bale. She slows just a bit til she sees that warm smile in the rearview mirror and feels her hop back on. 

It’s stopped raining now and at least for the time being, bright rays of sunshine are shining down through the clouds, making the dark clouds in the distance look even more ominous. As she tops the hill, she sees a small cabin and a large barn up ahead and she realizes that this is where her lovely host is staying while she and her son take over her house. She recognizes the dark horse, Mason, in a small fenced off area to the right and thinks she even sees a glimpse of white, but she’s distracted when Kara comes jogging up to the driver’s side window. 

“Hey, I’m going to hop in the back and throw the rest out closer together since we’re almost to the barn.” At Cat’s nod, Kara jogs back and is in the back of the truck in a flash, stripping off her coat again now that the sun is out. She also strips off her ever present flannel shirt, leaving her in a fitted black tank top that matches the black gloves she wears on her hands. At her thump on top of the truck, Cat tears her eyes away from the skin on display and starts the truck into a gentle roll down the slope of the hill. Just as she said she would, Kara starts tossing the sixty-pound bales off the back of the truck like they weigh nothing, biceps flexing with every move. Cat’s mouth drops open slightly at the display and wonders briefly is she’s being punked. If Lois Lane worked for the U.S. Marshalls, she’d seriously consider it a possibility.

Cat shakes herself out of her muscle induced stupor long enough to realize that they’re nearing the gate near the small cabin. She slows the truck to a stop and feels the dip when Kara jumps out of the back. She has her flannel shirt back on by the time she rounds on the passenger side door and hops in. “All done. Hope it wasn’t too boring for you,” Kara says with another distinct teasing twinkle in her eye, pointing Cat through the open gate and back up towards the main house.

“Oh, it was entertaining,” Cat replies, unable to not let her eyes drop to the covered arms sitting right next to her. She chuckles at Kara’s fluster. Apparently her young Marshall can try to dish it out, but can’t handle the teasing when it’s pointed her way. She decides to give her a break for now. “So how did you end up out here, Marshall? Did you grow up here?” 

She sees a soft smile break out onto Kara’s face. “Yeah, I came to live here with my foster family when I was thirteen. I left for a while, of course, to go to school…and then work, but I moved back out here as soon as I could.”

Cat is taken aback a bit at her explanation. Her journalistic instincts want to dig, but she’s not on a story. This is a young woman’s life. “It’s a beautiful place, Marshall.” Kara’s eyes lift to hers. “Probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.”

“Thanks, Miss Grant. I know it’s not for everyone, but I just love it here.”

“So, your foster family, do they live somewhere else now?” Cat asks, unable to stiffly her curiosity.

Kara nods, “My foster mother, she lives on the coast of California. She moved there after my foster father passed away. She still visits a lot, but it’s hard for her to live here.”

Cat just hums in agreement and in sympathy, “I’m sorry, Kara.”

Kara jerks her head up when Cat says her name for the first time. “It’s ok,” she breathes out. “He was a wonderful man and he taught us so much. He taught me how to be comfortable in my own skin. That’s why I love it here so much. It’s quiet and peaceful and it reminds me of him.”

“He sounds wonderful,” Cat says. She reaches her hand over a few inches to grasp onto Kara’s hand. “You said ‘us’. You have siblings?”

“Alex, my foster sister. She lives in National City, actually,” Kara squeezes the fingers wrapped around hers faintly.

“So your sister isn’t a ‘cowboy’ too?” Cat teases, releasing her hand and taking a quick glance in the rear view mirror to see Carter asleep, his head resting against the side of his car seat.

Kara laughs lightly. “No. She likes to visit, but I think it’s too much for her.”

As Cat pulls the truck to a stop in front of the house, she teases, “Good, I don’t think I could handle two of you.” 

\----------------------------------

After letting Kara help her settle Carter in his bed for the rest of his morning nap, the two women stand at the doorway. “Thanks for your help, Miss Grant,” Kara says, “Like I said, I hope it wasn’t too boring for you. It’ll make the rest of my day a lot easier.”

“I enjoyed it, Marshall,” Cat smiles, “and Carter enjoyed it too. His morning nap will probably run into his afternoon one.” 

“I’m glad,” Kara says, “I should get going for now. I’ll check in with you two later,” she says with as she walks out the door.

Cat watches her trot down the steps. “Kara?”

The young Marshall turns with her hand on the door of her truck, “Yes, Miss Grant?”

“I’m planning on making pasta tonight and I always tend to make too much. Would you like to join us? We usually eat around six.” The question is out of her mouth before Cat can think twice about it and when she sees the delighted smile take over Kara’s face, she’s glad.

“I’d love to.”

\---------------------------------------

Kara is knocking politely on the front door of her own home a just a few minutes before six o’clock, causing Cat to roll her eyes and pull her in the door by the scruff of her shirt sleeve. “It’s your house,” she says playfully. 

“Not right now, it isn’t,” she responds with a smile. 

They share dinner at the small table in the kitchen, mostly Kara telling Cat how wonderful her pasta is and both of them smiling at Carter trying to chase his cut-up noodles around his plate. He ends up with pasta sauce on the majority of his face, but it’s a smiling face, so Cat is alright with the outcome.

After insisting upon helping with the dishes, Kara lifts Carter up after slipping his coat on, his laughter filling the kitchen. “Come outside with me,” she says, holding a hand out towards Cat, who is still drying her hands on the kitchen towel.

The older woman is immediately suspicious. “Why?” she drags out, stepping reluctantly towards the front door.

“Put your coat on and meet us outside,” Kara says with finality, slipping out quickly leaving Cat gaping. She shrugs into her coat quickly and steps out onto the porch. She stops short when she sees Kara standing with Carter in front of a beautiful brown and white horse, smaller than Mason, that’s for sure.

“Her name is Star,” Kara says, “She’s a rescue. She’s probably one of the sweetest animals I’ve ever been around.”

Cat steps down off of the stairs to stand close to both of them. “She’s beautiful.” Carter thinks so as well and Cat smiles as she sees Kara coaching him on how to gently run his hand down her long nose.

“So I made an assumption that maybe you’ve never ridden a horse before,” Kara says lightly, while Star nuzzles her head closer to Carter making him smile bigger than Cat has ever seen.

Cat stares incredulously. “You assumed correctly,” she bites out, lips in a hard line on her face.

Kara just keeps smiling, encouraging Carter to pet as much as possible. “Well, if you’d like, Star here is the most wonderful first-timers ride…but only if you’d like,” she says, the uncertainty creeping into her voice.

“I…” Cat falters a bit, taken far out of her comfort zone. She lives in a penthouse apartment at the top of National City for god’s sakes. She doesn’t belong on the back of a horse on top of a hill in Montana.

“Mama. You ride horsie?” Carter asks, his hand still firmly on the white stripe between Star’s eyes.

Cat sighs and fixes Kara with the most intimidating stare she can muster. She waves her hand in a flourish towards the giant animal, “Well? What do I do?”

\------------------------------------------

“Mama, you cowboy too,” Carter says sleepily as Cat carries him towards his room. 

“I’m just mama, darling,” Cat says laying him down with a gentle kiss upon his brow. She walks back out into the living room to find Kara staring at one of the beautiful paintings that hangs above the fireplace. This one in particular, is of a quaint cottage on seaside cliffs. She remembers suddenly the room towards the back of the house where she saw empty canvases and paints of every different color. “Kara, did you paint these?” she asks, startling the young woman.

Kara turns towards her. “Um, yes. It’s a hobby,” she says, fidgeting a bit with her fingers. “This one is where my foster mother lives.”

Cat nods her head, “They’re beautiful. I’m surprised they’re just a hobby. I’ve seen gallery openings in National City with far less talent.”

“I…thank you, Miss Grant. That means a lot,” Kara says, her smile shining bright.

“You deserve it. I’m a bit in awe of you, to be honest,” Cat says, stepping slowly towards where Kara stands. “Smart, talented, beautiful and obviously strong…able to enamor my son with just a few words and running an honest to god ranch in Montana all by yourself? Is there anything you can’t do?”

She watches as Kara steps lightly towards the door, sets her hat upon her head before she looks back, “I was able to get Cat Grant to drive my truck and onto the back of a horse.” She stops with her hand upon the doorknob as she looks back. “If I can do that, I can do anything,” she says with a smile and a tip of her hat. “Goodnight, Cat.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Marshall Smythe, I’m assuming that you have a location for me,” Maxwell says as he rounds the table to confront his guest. It’s been several days since their last meeting, several days of agonizing over his own fate and putting up a complete stall to any and all current research. He’s itching to get back into the lab. He has his ‘volunteers’ after all, waiting to see if his methods have improved since the mild catastrophe which Cat Grant witnessed in the first place. 

“Actually, no,” Siobhan replies, running her fingers along the edge of the desk in front of them with an air of disinterest. “I’m still waiting for my source to break away from routine, but I’ll have eyes on him as soon as he does.”

Max stops his pacing, fixes her with a glare and an eerie smile. “I’m sorry, I thought we had an arrangement. You provide me with Cat Grant’s whereabouts, I leave you out of my cleansing,” he says sweetly. 

“These things take time. I need two more weeks, Maxwell,” Siobhan replies. “The primary on her case will need to localize and I’ll be right on his tail.” She says it with such confidence that it grates on his nerves, but he really has no choice. All of the other alternatives have come up empty and he has dealt with a few of them with a finality that doesn’t offer future employment opportunities. He really has no choice but to put his revenge in the hands of one of the people he normally wouldn’t even trust with his coffee order. 

“Two weeks, Marshall Smythe,” Max says sharply. “That’s all you’ve got.”

\------------------------------------------

Cat tightens the belt of her robe around her waist and quickly runs her fingers through her hair when she hears the low rumble of a pickup truck coming into the drive. Carter is worried less about his appearance and only about getting another mouthful of his cheesy eggs before trotting quickly to the window to wave to Kara in his dinosaur pajamas. He giggles when he gets an enthusiastic wave in return and runs back to the plush rug in the living room where he is watching his movie.

Cat pulls the front door open, hiding behind it a bit to stay out of the blustery wind but makes sure to stick out a waiting hand for the insulated mug she already spotted in Kara’s hand. She abandons her post to wrap both hands around it and bring the steaming hot coffee to her lips. She hums in satisfaction, eyes closed before she says, “I need to meet this aunt of yours, Kara. She’s like a magician.” She hears a low chuckle, causing her to open her eyes, which only widen in shock when she sees what her cowgirl has shown up in. Gone are the worn in jeans and the button up shirts, only to be replaced by long black tights and a long sleeve running shirt, the thumb-catches hanging unused on the inside of her wrists. Her long blonde hair is pulled up into a tight ponytail and her ever-present cowboy boots have been left behind, brightly colored running shoes in their place. Cat is very aware that she’s staring, but can’t seem to pull her eyes away from the lean, lithe body in front of her.

“I, um, was taking advantage of one of the last semi-cool days before the snow gets here. I like to run,” Kara says a little shyly, clutching tightly to the large brown paper bag in her left hand.

Cat swallows thickly. “I can see that. Please come in, Kara. Thank you for the latte.”

“You’re welcome and I’d love for you to meet my aunt, after all this is over,” she says with a smile, walking around the couch to only end up with an excited little boy wrapped around her legs. “Hey buddy, whatcha watching?”

“Little foot,” Carter says happily.

Kara smiles. “I like dinosaurs too, but I don’t have any pajamas like those,” she says, tugging at the bottom of his pajama top as she settles on the couch. “You think they would fit me?”

“No, cowboy,” he laughs, quickly jumping away from her tickling fingers. “You too big. Mama says you big pretty cowboy.”

Kara cuts her eyes across the room to where Cat has suddenly disappeared into the kitchen. “Well, I’m glad your mama thinks so, but I think she’s way prettier than me.”

Carter nods sharply. “Mama so pretty,” he says with complete conviction.

“I agree,” she says softly, looking up to catch green, green eyes from where Cat is leaning on the dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room. She holds them for several seconds before Carter catches her attention again, plucking at the paper bag she has sat down on the rug. 

“Cowboy hat?” he asks timidly, looking to her for permission to reach inside.

“Yes, buddy. I brought you your own cowboy hat. Do you want to try it on?” She laughs as he scrambles excitedly into the bag, pulling out the miniature version of her own hat, complete with the braided bolo wrapped around it, turquoise beads decorating the length. He plops it on his head immediately, giggling at his reflection in the window before turning to his mama, who is currently fighting the tears that want to stream down her face.

“Mama! I cowboy, too!” He runs as fast as his little legs can carry him across the room to where she has crouched down to meet him, coffee mug long forgotten beside her. She wipes at her eyes a little before she wraps her hands around his middle. 

“You are the most handsome cowboy I’ve ever seen, Carter,” she hugs him tightly, catching blue eyes over his shoulder. “Did you tell Kara thank you for your hat?”  
He turns quickly to run back to her spot at the couch, wrapping his arms around her legs tightly. “Thank you. I cowboy like you, Kara,” his r’s coming out much more like w’s in his attempt to say her name.

“You’re very welcome, Carter. You know, I think your mom might be jealous of your new hat. Why don’t you look in the bag again to see if there’s something for her?” she says with a mischievous glance Cat’s way. The older woman only quirks her head a bit and takes another sip of her precious latte while he clamors back into the bag. He bounds out of it with the biggest smile he’s ever had clutching the most obnoxious pink cowboy hat she’s ever seen. Her face falls comically and she glares playfully in Kara’s direction.

“Look mama! You cowboy!”

\-------------------------------------------------------

Despite having to endure at least twenty minutes of wearing her new accessory, Cat invites Kara over to eat dinner with them again that night. Lasagna this time, of which Kara inhales two servings before Cat can even finish half of hers, but she can’t find reason to care, when every other sound out of the young woman’s mouth is a form of adoration and praise over her cooking skills. Carter just giggles as Kara shovels it in and chews happily on his garlic bread. 

“I’ll clean up, you two go play,” Cat says once they’ve all finished, shooing them away with the white dishtowel in her hands. She feels a bit like the mother she’d always envisioned, dismissing the partner and kids so that she can wash the dishes, except in this reality, she’s dismissing her protective custody detail who just happens to be a modern-day-cowgirl-fantasy who’s fantastic with her young son. She finds them only minutes later swaying gently on the front porch swing which she has come to love, Carter laid out dozing on Kara’s chest, her hand held firmly upon his back, holding him in place.

“Sit with us,” she hears Kara say softly and she does. She pulls the extra chair closer to the swing, reaches her hand out to softly sift through the brown curls on her son’s head. “In your file, it says you had him on your own,” Kara says quietly. “I don’t mean to pry, I was just wondering…well, I’ve thought of that myself. Well, of adoption at least,” the young Marshall says, grasping tighter at his back and reaching down with her lips to place a kiss on that curly head. Cat reaches out a hand to curl around her arm to let her know it’s ok.

“A few years ago, I started feeling something,” Cat begins with a light laugh. “I had no idea what it was at first. It was something I had never really felt before, honestly. My focus had always been on my career and I admit, I’ve been very successful, but my personal life has taken the hit.” She stops for a minute, to gather her words. “I felt the overwhelming pull to have a child…and I didn’t want to wait for that ‘perfect situation’ with a partner to come along to make it happen. So, I made the hard decision to make it happen on my own. I put things in order and I picked an anonymous donor and ‘et voila’ as they say,” Cat says with a giddy smile, “Carter happened.”

Kara smiles, “He definitely did.” She rakes her own fingers through his curly brown hair with affection. “Thank you for letting me get to know him,” she says, and Cat knows it takes on more meaning that can ever be put into words.

“Thank you for being so good with him. It’s made it so much easier for him to adjust here, Kara. He is completely in love with you,” she finishes in a whisper, glancing again up at those blue eyes that seem to sparkle in the waning colors of the sunset in the distance.

\------------------------------------------------

The morning brings not just a sharper chill, but fields of blanketed snow. It’s beautiful, but not so beautiful that Cat doesn’t instantly begin to worry over her nearby keeper. She burns the fire a bit higher and brews extra half-caff to ward off the chill. She holds out until mid-morning but by the time the sun is almost high in the sky, she brings the walkie to her mouth with a mild look of disdain… “Kara?” she asks, waiting an appropriate amount of time for a response before she lifts it to her lips again. She’s just about to push the button again when she hears a response, “Cat? Is everything ok?”

She’s relieved at the response. “Yes, Kara, everything is ok. Can you come by the house today?”

“I’ll be right up.”

Carter is down for his mid-day nap when she hears Kara pulling up in her truck. The young woman is out of the driver’s seat and up the steps in just a few seconds, stomping snow off of her boots and slinging the flakes off of her hat before she steps to the door. “Hey,” she says with a wide smile after kicking off her boots at the front door mat. “Is everything ok?”

“Yes, everything is fine,” Cat breathes out, handing over a hot cup of coffee to Kara’s hands. “I was just…worried about the snow.”

“Oh…” Kara breathes out, her smile still lingering. “Thanks, but it’s really ok. The cabin is small so the fireplace really warms everything up.”

“You can’t be just ok in that little shack, Kara. You said there’s no central heat.”

“It’s ok, Cat, really. I have the fireplace and I can sleep on the couch to be warmer if it gets too cold,” Kara replies, trying to placate her concerned guest.

“Absolutely not. You’ll stay here with us. It’s your house after all,” Cat says with an air of finality that most know not to argue with.

“Cat, really…” Kara starts.

“Kara. It is below freezing and snowing. You have settled your cattle and horses in the barn. I am settling you in your own house, with us, to stay warm. Discussion over.” Her eyes are set and determined with her hands on her hips and Kara gets a glimpse of the fierce journalist that she has read so much about over the past week. She can’t help but think just how beautiful she is.

“Yes, Miss Grant,” Kara says with a grin as she brings the hot coffee to her lips.


	5. Chapter 5

Kara isn’t sure what’s making her so nervous. Is it the prospect of being with other people for more than a few dozen minutes at a time? That’s always been a concern, to be honest. It has been a while since she’s had the opportunity to be in the presence of someone other than her aunt for any extended visit, but even Astra’s comforting presence can’t calm her as much as holding that little boy has been in recent days. James is a good friend, has been since they first met in college several years ago. Spending time with him is always welcome, especially hearing about his life in the city…his constant search for that special someone that will make him settle down and take a less dangerous position within law enforcement. She was his number one pick, that he’s always made known. He’s also always known that he just wasn’t in the cards for Kara Danvers and their friendship grew on his acceptance of that fact. 

If _she’s _honest, she knows what’s making her heart flutter in her chest. It’s Cat.__

__The pull she’s felt towards the slight woman is strong. Maybe it’s the strength of mind, she’s read enough about Cat Grant’s insurmountable victories in journalism to know that she is as sharp in mind as she is in tongue. But then again, maybe it’s her loyalty. She’s given up her posh life in National City in a moment’s notice to be loyal to her reporting. Cat dug deep into something that was dangerous for not only her, but everyone she knows and loves and she came out the other side with evidence to stop unspeakable acts against people who had nowhere else to turn. Cat Grant is a hero and it makes Kara warm inside. It makes her crave the woman’s company, her voice._ _

__She wants to _know _her.___ _

____And now, she’s packing her things slowly into her worn duffle bag to live with her. She’s had it since her first days of college when her foster mother and sister dropped her into a world where she learned what it meant to be herself among the noise. She picks up the last thing to be packed, the Northwestern hoodie that was her sisters’ and her foster mothers’ before hers. It’s softer and more pliant than anything you could ever pick up off of a store shelf and it is the one piece of clothing that she owns that brings her down to earth more than anything else. She runs her fingers over the fading letters, wonders what her hand-me-down sweatshirt would look like wrapped around Cat’s slim shoulders then shakes the thought from her head with a chuckle. There’s nothing she can offer the journalist. Kara wants to live out her days on the back of a horse or behind an easel, not in the middle of one of the fastest growing cities on the continent._ _ _ _

____For the time being at least, she will do her best to make sure that Cat and Carter are as comfortable as possible in her home. If that means cohabitating, then so be it. She will do everything she can to make sure they are happy and most of all, safe. She slings the bag over her shoulder and takes a quick look around the small cabin. It’s ready for use if need be. If James were to show up, a quick fire and he’s good. She heads out the door to her truck to head up the hill._ _ _ _

____\--------------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____Kara pulls up to her house on the hilltop, parks her truck into its somewhat normal spot on the east side and hops out, her boots hitting the snow with a slight crunch. The sun shone through the clouds for a little while around lunch, but she knows from the forecast on her phone that the steady flutters she’s seen since then will continue throughout the coming night. The light is fading and as she steps onto the first rise of the front steps, she turns and looks at the beauty of the snow covered fields in front of her. It will be even more beautiful in the morning, she thinks as she turns towards the front door._ _ _ _

____She doesn’t have to knock, because there waiting for her is something she can only dream of. Cat is standing inside the storm door in her pajamas and fluffy robe with Carter perched upon her arm smiling ear-to-ear at his visitor. She kicks off her boots and pulls the door open just enough to slip inside. “I’m here for the slumber party. Am I in the right place?” she asks with a serious face, but a side wink to the older woman as she drops her bag by the door._ _ _ _

____Carter doesn’t respond. He just keeps smiling and holds out his arms to her for a lift up into her taller embrace. Kara circles her arms around him and holds him tight, but with a look of question towards Cat._ _ _ _

____Cat just shrugs with her own slightly confused smile, but closes the heavy door behind Kara and pulls her towards the couch. She sits down with her bundle and tries to see his face, but he’s holding too tight. “Carter? Hey buddy? What’s wrong?” Kara asks softly._ _ _ _

____He finally sits back enough for her to see the shy look on his face, much like the one he had when she first saw him. “Kara come stay?” he says, getting a little better at his r’s now that he’s had more practice. “Come stay with me, mama?”_ _ _ _

____All of Kara’s previous reservations fly out the window at the softly spoken questions. “Yes. I’m here to stay with you and your mom. I think we’re going to have lots of fun,” she smiles. It makes him happy enough to collapse back into her arms and when she looks up, she tries to ignore the tears she sees in Cat’s eyes._ _ _ _

____“Have you eaten?” Cat asks from her spot standing behind the couch._ _ _ _

____“No, not really, “Kara says, letting Carter down from her arms, where he immediately goes to retrieve a couple of the tiny dinosaurs from the pile on the rug, as though a major emotional boundary hadn’t just been broken through._ _ _ _

____“We have leftovers, I’ll heat them up for you,” Cat says, ducking behind the wall that separates the kitchen from the living area before Kara can protest. Not that she would, of course, but she doesn’t want Cat to think she owes her anything in this arrangement._ _ _ _

____Kara stands and quickly makes her way into the kitchen, stepping behind Cat at the counter and reaching around her. “I can warm it up, Cat. You cooked after all,” she says with what she hopes is a grateful smile._ _ _ _

____Apparently, it works. Cat steps back and lets her take over and she takes the advantage to take an extra spoonful of the chicken dish in front of her with an eye waggle that makes Cat laugh. “You just want extra,” Cat replies playfully, acknowledging the younger woman’s disdain at being served._ _ _ _

____“Guilty.” Kara takes the heavily piled plate and loads it into the microwave. She rests her back against the counter as it heats and takes in the other woman’s expression. Cat is nervous too, Kara realizes, not sure if that’s a help or a hindrance in this situation. “Thanks for letting me come stay, Cat,” she says with what she hopes will be a grateful expression. “The snow is going to accumulate tonight. I would have been fine in the cabin, temperature-wise, but I appreciate being able to be here with you two.”_ _ _ _

____“I’m glad you agreed, Kara,” Cat says with a smirk._ _ _ _

____“As if I had a choice,” Kara replies, stepping a bit closer to the older woman, reaching up a finger to tap the underside of her chin. “I’m sure the conviction in those eyes gets quite a number of reporters running towards their goal.”_ _ _ _

____“Never hurts,” Cat murmurs, warmed a bit by the teasing._ _ _ _

____“Well,” Kara says as she lifts her heaving plate from the microwave, “as long as it’s pointed towards me to stay warm and to be fed, I think we’ll be alright,” she finishes with a wink that leaves Cat floundering in the kitchen._ _ _ _

____\-----------------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____They watch ‘Mary Poppins’ together that night. Carter is entranced by the penguins and all but demands that Kara put him to bed when it is finished. Cat nods happily when she looks for approval, so Kara follows with a soft hand towards his temporary room where he climbs into bed with a little help and waits expectantly for something she’s not accustomed to. “Um…you want a bedtime story?” she asks uncertainly._ _ _ _

____“Kara sing,” Carter says, snuggling lower into his blankets. He pulls his stuffed Chewbacca closer and waits._ _ _ _

____“Um…okay, sing. I can do that…let’s see,” Kara rambles, trying to remember the only lullaby she knows. Luckily, it’s from the same movie they watched that night. She settles close to the bed on the floor and reaches up to turn the light down low._ _ _ _

____Kara sings “Stay awake, don't rest your head. Don't lie down, upon your bed. While the moon drifts in the skies, stay awake, don't close your eyes…” her voice is low and sure in the bedroom, her only audience with drooping eyelids next to her. “Though the world is fast asleep, though your pillow's soft and deep…”_ _ _ _

____Cat steps softly on the carpeted hallway, trying not to interrupt the beautiful singing she hears from the extra bedroom which Carter has made his own over the past week. She leans in the doorway, her eyes and the top of her head barely inside the room…_ _ _ _

____“You're not sleepy as you seem, stay awake, don't nod and dream…,” Kara trails off beautifully and when Cat thinks she’s heard the last of her deep voice…._ _ _ _

____“Stay awake, don't nod and dream…” Kara trails off once again, lifting a hand to push a curly brown lock off of Carter’s forehead. She rises as quietly as she can, shuts off the bedside light and makes her way to the hallway, hoping beyond hope she hasn’t overstepped by putting Carter to sleep. She stops short after pulling the door to and seeing the fierce green eyes of his mother… “Cat, I’m sorry. He wanted me to sing and he was really sleepy…” she rambled, “I think he was asleep before I even started…”_ _ _ _

____“Kara,” she stops her with her hands within her own. “It’s okay. He loves being sung to and that most definitely qualifies.” Cat tangles her fingers more. “You have a beautiful voice.”_ _ _ _

____Kara looks down at Cat, who is looking at her in awe. “I haven’t sung for anyone in a long time. Thank you,” Kara breathes out quietly._ _ _ _

____“You’re welcome,” Cat relies, just as breathless. “Join me for a drink?” she asks even as she tugs on those long fingers._ _ _ _

____“I, uh, I don’t usually drink…” Kara trails off as she follows Cat back into the living room. As she sees the blonde pour two glasses in the light of the dining room, she can’t see any point to argue. She accepts a glass as the older woman steps close, brings it to her lips and tastes the wonderful, strong age of the fruit from the vine. She hums at the taste._ _ _ _

____“I know I’ve said it before,” Cat begins, “but thank you for being so good with him.” She ends with a look that makes it known that Carter hasn’t seen such acceptance in his young life._ _ _ _

____“I don’t know how else to be,” Kara says softly, looking into green eyes. Cat only nods as she continues to sip from her wine glass. She walks toward the front window, looking out onto the land that Kara knows she cannot see in the darkness of this time of night._ _ _ _

____“This place,” she begins lowly, “it’s like…magic.” Cat turns to regard her where she sits upon the edge of the couch. “When I first got here, all I could think about was how much I missed my phone, my tablet, my wifi…” she trails off with a smile. “Now all I can think about it what I’m going to make with him for breakfast and what classic Disney movie we might watch after lunch, after we see you herding up the cows, that is,” Cat finishes, turning towards her with a smile that makes Kara’s heart beat faster and Kara gets scared...scared of letting them get any closer, only to have them leave and never look back._ _ _ _

____“I…I know. I know how it can change your view on the outside world,” Kara says as she drains her wineglass. She stands and returns her glass to the sink. “I also know how living in the city can make you feel like there’s nowhere else you’d rather be,” she says strongly, stepping in her socked feet to gather the empty glass from Cat’s hands. “How living anywhere else but in the middle of things can seem almost impossible.”_ _ _ _

____Cat pauses, “Not impossible… just…”_ _ _ _

____Kara stands tall, not to impose, just to get her point across...her life here isn't a fairy tale or an easy escape…“This life, here. It’s not for everyone…but it’s for me,” Kara interrupts. “Everyone has their reasons, I guess.”_ _ _ _

____Cat nods, then takes the few slow steps towards the bedroom she’s occupied for almost a week now. “Goodnight, Kara,” she says softly, feeling as though she's hit a nerve with the young woman._ _ _ _

____Kara walks stiffly towards the front door to double-check the lock and the lights. “Goodnight, Cat,” she nods._ _ _ _


	6. Chapter 6

Kara can see the warm lights from inside the café windows from where she parks her truck on the nearly deserted street. It’s barely after sunrise, but that has never kept her aunt’s daily patrons from taking up the prime spots in the front windows and their shadows can be seen dancing on the sidewalk out front. Not even the light blanket of snow that has accumulated over the ranch and the small town can keep the morning chess players away and she gives the men a wide smile when she pushes the door open after stomping off her boots.

“Morning there, Miss Kara,” one of them says, glancing up at her from his prone position above the board. His wire rimmed glasses are sitting low on his nose and after giving her a quick grin, he turns back to his opponent, who is too occupied staring at the board to give Kara but a fleeting glance. Bobby raises his hand in greeting though and she chuckles as she slides a hand around his shoulders and leans down to kiss his bald head. 

“Morning, Andy,” Kara says, before leaning down to whisper in Bobby’s ear. Andy watches as the light comes into Bobby’s eyes and he curses as the bald man reaches forward to put him in checkmate.

“Goddamnit, Kara,” the red-faced man gripes. “Astra, don’t feed her, she’s a cheater!” he yells after Kara as she walks towards the bar. He tosses his folded up newspaper on the floor and pouts.

Astra laughs from her spot in front of her beloved espresso machine and cranes her neck back to regard her niece. “Andy is never going to forgive you for that, little one.”

The younger woman just settles herself comfortably at the bar and accepts the hot coffee shoved her way. “Yeah, well, he shouldn’t have tried to set me up with his step-nephew last month at the town meeting. That boy followed me around all night regaling me with the wonders of selling propane.”

Astra leans her chin upon her fist, “Well it is quite versatile,” she says with a smirk. When her teasing only gets the tiniest response, she stretches both hands out along the bar. “What’s wrong? Everything ok with our special guests?” she asks lowly, not wanting any of the few patrons to overhear.

“Yeah,” Kara responds quickly. “Yeah, everything’s fine.”

The older woman huffs a little before reaching up and tucking the few dangling strands of dark hair behind her ears. The majority of it is pulled up into a messy bun at the back of her head and the startling white strands weaved throughout only add to the striking green of her eyes. She stares hard at her niece’s face. “What’s wrong, Kara? Married life not working out?” she asks playfully.

Kara glares. “Not funny.”

Astra continues to stare and Kara rolls her eyes at her aunt’s intended intimidation tactic. “Everything’s fine, ok. It’s just…I kind of snapped at Cat last night.” 

“She get snarky with you?” she asks as she picks up her bar-towel and starts wiping down the surface even though it’s already gleaming. “I mean, anyone who knows anything about National City knows that she can be the world’s biggest…”

“No!” Kara interjects quickly. She takes a quick glance towards the front window to make sure their audience is still oblivious and sighs when she sees Bobby slowly setting the chess board back up for another game as Andy glares at him. “No, Cat is anything but…snarky.” At Astra’s raised eyebrow she continues, “Honestly, she’s not like that with me. I mean, I’ve seen her show and her exclusive interviews, but that is not the woman that is at the house. She’s…kind…soft and beautiful and a wonderful mother…” she trails off, only realizing herself when she looks up to sees that her aunt’s eyebrow is not only still raised but the corner of her mouth as well in a smirk she knows all too well. She’s too far gone to deny it and only whimpers before dropping her forehead to the hard surface of the bar.

“Well, well…my little Kara is gone on a hot mom from the big city. Who would’ve thought?” she teases. She laughs when she gets only more whimpers in response. She leans back a bit when she feels a solid presence behind her and watches as a gigantic omelet and a side of pancakes is settled down in front of a sulking Kara.

“I could have told you this, my love. Both of them have a history of stubbornness and a strong penchant for defying people in authoritative positions,” the tall cook interjects as he leans back against the counter, crossing his arms in front of his body.

Kara lifts her head to glare but keeps her mouth shut as she reaches forward to pull both of the overflowing plates toward her, her focus in the moment only on retaining the food in front of her. Astra only chuckles in response but reaches out to wrap her hands around the muscles of one of her husband’s biceps. “Now, Jonn. Take it easy on our Kara. She’s in a difficult position.”

“Kara,” Jonn says strongly. “Do not take your feelings lightly. No matter what the problems you foresee ahead of you, you cannot deny love.”

“Did I hear you say love, Jonn?” yells Andy from the front of the café, his eyebrows wiggling for effect.

Kara just rolls her eyes and stuffs her mouth with another forkful of pancakes.

\------------------------------------------------

Cat has just settled Carter in for his morning nap when she hears the low rumble of a truck pulling closer to the house. At almost a week in to their stay here at the ranch, she’s finally gotten over her initial nervousness at every noise and especially now that she has grown accustom to the sound of Kara’s truck. She frets a bit over the blankets on his bed, even though she knows it’s more than comfortable inside the spacious house. She knows she’s just delaying the inevitable, so she steps back slowly and turns in the hall to see Kara standing in the living room in her socked feet with a large insulated mug in her hand.

“Hi,” Cat says as she takes light steps in to meet her. 

Kara’s eyes dart up and she smiles, hoping to put the older woman at ease. “Hey. I, um, I brought you a latte,” she says holding up the mug. “And I uh, I wanted to apologize about last night,” Cat looks on as the grown woman in front of her shuffles her feet uncertainly and fidgets like a nervous teenager and she can’t do anything but step forward and take the offering.

“That’s ok, Kara,” Cat responds as she wraps her hands around the warm mug. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

“No,” Kara says sharply, startling her a bit. “I…I do. I reacted badly because…” she stops, looks around at the place she’s called home for more years than she can count. “I know how much of an escape this place can be and I’ve…I’ve already gotten attached to you two,” she says, stumbling over her words and a bit reluctantly, she glances up to catch Cat’s eyes, seeing the recognition there, “and I guess, I got spooked. It’s only been a handful of days and I’m already afraid of the two of you leaving when all of this is over for you.”

Cat can only nod slowly as she takes in what the younger woman has said. “I guess, you could say…that we have gotten attached to this place too, Kara,” she catches the young woman’s eyes, “to you.” They both stay silent, but never break the gaze between them.

“Well,” Kara clears her throat, “I guess we’re all…attached.” She fidgets a bit with her fingers before realizing how ridiculous she’s being and stops abruptly, shoves her hands into the back pocket of her jeans.

Cat looks on in amusement. “I guess we are.” She shuffles her feet a bit herself and brings the coffee to her lips before remembering the question she’s been meaning to ask Kara since yesterday. “Is…is there any way I could get a laptop?” Cat asks, trying to change the subject at hand and give the nervous woman some reprieve. She quickly adds, “Not even a laptop. Not for internet, um…just for writing. Even a typewriter?” she looks to Kara in question. “Notebook and pen,” she asks again, with a playful upturn of her mouth.

Kara lets out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding, thankful that the tension is broken. “Laptop. Yes. I’ll get mine for you and get you a log-in set up.” She takes a few steps down the hall. “Um, the web access has been shut down for your safety, that’s why I put it away.”

“I understand,” Cat says with a reassuring smile. “I really do, Kara. I just want to write.”

“Of course,” Kara says as she ducks into the extra bedroom with a smile.

\-------------------------------------------------

“C’mon Miss Grant,” Kara calls teasingly. “I know you know how to get up on that horse.” She stalks around in the snow-covered ground, her booted foot-steps left behind in a trail. Carter giggles from his place upon Kara’s shoulder where he’s bundled in the extra coat and brand new boots he got from Kara’s trip back into town this afternoon. 

“Mama, up!” he calls after Kara’s coaxing and Cat glares at her from Star’s side. Normally, it would send junior reporters scrambling, but today on a snowy hillside somewhere in Montana, it just sends her young son and his newfound best friend into a fit of giggles.

“You do realize I’ve only done this one other time, right, Marshall?” Cat snipes. 

“C’mon, Cat, it’s like riding a bike. That was only a couple of days ago. You couldn’t have forgotten already,” Kara teases.

“Contrary to popular belief, I am not capable of doing _everything _,” she mutters to herself, trying to get the left foot of her borrowed pair of cowboy boots snug in the stirrup.__

__“Don’t think I’ll believe that. I’ve watched you reduce world leaders to tears. One little horse doesn’t stand a chance,” Kara says nonchalantly as she points Carter’s gaze to the east where a herd of elk are grazing._ _

__“Moos?” he asks inquisitively, with a tilt of his head._ _

__“Elk,” Kara replies instantly, keeping an eye on her companion who is just about to hoist herself up onto Star’s back. When she sees Cat finally settle into the saddle, she smiles._ _

__“You watched my show?” Cat asks with a smirk._ _

__Kara rolls her eyes. “Of course I watched your show. Who didn’t?”_ _

__Cat wiggles in satisfaction, her smirk only growing. “Good point.”_ _

__Kara snorts out a laugh. “Ok, Carter and I are going to sit in the swing. You and Star get reacquainted,” she says as she turns and starts making her way back up the small hill to the house. Carter turns over her shoulder and squeezes his hands in and out, “Bye, Mama!”_ _

__Cat’s eyes bug out of her head. “Kara! What do you mean ‘get reacquainted’?? Are you just going to leave me here on the back of this beast??” she yells out after the young woman. She hears a shrill whistle from Kara’s direction and Star starts moving in a slow walk. She grips the reigns tight in her hands and seethes, taking a glance back towards her son and his keeper. She meets playful blue eyes that sparkle in the sunlight, especially without the shade of her ever-present hat. Kara’s blonde hair is blowing in the light breeze and Carter is tucked into her side with a smile. Cat’s heart melts and she rolls her eyes in exasperation. “Fine. C’mon, horse. Show me what you’ve got.”_ _

__\-----------------------------------------------_ _

__By the time dinner rolls around things have settled down nicely between the two women, the tension from the night before completely faded away with their quiet day spent together. Kara insisted on cooking and after stuffing themselves with the lasagna she toiled over, Carter laid down for the night, she and Cat are settled in on the plush couch in the living room. Cat has a glass of wine and Kara, a coffee, as they watch the snow come down heavily outside. Kara turns her head lazily to the side when she hears the older woman ask, “You’re a Marshall, Kara? But do ever travel? Is it just part-time?”_ _

__“I worked as a Marshall full-time for two years before I decided to go consult-only,” Kara stops and ponders her coffee before she continues. “It’s not something the organization does often, but I have a unique set-up here that allows me to help out with delicate cases.”_ _

__“Like ours?” Cat murmurs, running the tips of her fingers over the plastic dinosaur she just found wedged in between the couch cushions._ _

__“Yes, especially like yours,” she says before pulling out her own Spiderman figurine from her side of the couch and playfully making him ‘jump’ onto the dinosaurs back. They both chuckle for a few seconds before Kara drops her head back against the plush couch. “I believed law-enforcement was my calling…but when it came down to it, I became too involved in the cases and I realized that I had to re-evaluate. I needed to make my life simpler, so I had to take a step back,” Kara says, not revealing her true reasons, the times when she put almost too much on the line for the people in her protective custody._ _

__“I’m sure it can be hard to separate from your personal life,” Cat says quietly._ _

__“My aunt…and her husband, they warned me, when I first went into the police force…but it didn’t really sink in until I had made my way into protective detail. I knew then that full-time just wasn’t meant for me,” Kara says, looking to her side to see Cat’s face. The look on her face is sympathetic and Kara knows that she understands her dilemma, especially when she imagines Cat trying to balance her career with raising Carter._ _

__“We may never have met if it wasn’t for this situation,” Cat ponders. “I…I never thought my digging into Maxwell Lord’s dirty secrets could lead to something so monumental,” Cat says suddenly, turning her head to stare out of the dark window. “I thought my days of investigative reporting were over and I would just move on to managing.”_ _

__“What made you change your mind?” Kara asks softly._ _

__Cat turns back to her and Kara can see the change in her green eyes, the fierceness. “What I found changed my mind,” she stops, shakes her head back and forth in disbelief. “Just when you think people might run out of things to find prejudice against, here comes someone like him to exploit the extraordinary.” Kara startles when Cat sits up quickly, sets her almost empty wine glass on the side table, leaving her hands free to motion along with her words. “He’s taking people who have amazing abilities…and treating them as if they’re nothing. You’d think after witnessing the abilities that we’ve seen from alien life on earth, that finding people _from _earth who have powers, would inspire creativity. With him it’s only inspired torture and…murder.”___ _

____“He’s afraid,” Kara says knowingly. “Not that that in any way justifies what he’s done, but he doesn’t know how to handle the fear of the unknown. A lot of people don’t.”_ _ _ _

____“He’s a coward,” Cat spits out. “There has only been one documented case of a metahuman using their powers for harm. One, in all of the people who have shared their abilities with the authorities, with the world. The boy in blue has even stepped up to the plate for them.”_ _ _ _

____“Well, if people will listen to anyone, it’s Superman,” Kara murmurs, more to herself than anyone else._ _ _ _

____Cat reaches out to lay her hand on top of Kara’s on the sofa. She feels the fingers below hers twitch in response, but she presses harder and feels Kara’s palm flip below hers, feels her fingers entwine with her own and she squeezes. “Thank you for letting us be here with you, Kara,” Cat says, her eyes brimming with tears. “I can’t imagine any other place I’d rather us be hidden away and I’m sure if there wasn’t a Kara Danvers in the world, Carter and I might not be so comfortable, so thank you. Thank you for whatever role you play in this case, in the grand scheme of things.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re very welcome, Cat,” Kara breathes out, squeezing the older woman’s hand. “Everything is going to work out fine and your testimony is going to put Maxwell Lord behind bars where he belongs. You just have to put up with me for another three weeks,” Kara says playfully, before standing up from the couch and tugging Cat up along with her. She reaches for the other woman’s wine glass and Cat follows her to kitchen with a groan. “Sore?” Kara asks with a devious grin._ _ _ _

____“Maybe,” Cat snarks back, enjoying Kara’s teasing more than she will ever admit._ _ _ _

____“You should soak in the tub. It’ll help,” Kara says as she rinses her coffee cup and the wine glass in the double sink._ _ _ _

____“Ah, yes, that tub looks wonderful. Maybe I will,” she trails off as she looks around the spacious kitchen. “You know, Kara, I don’t think I’ve told you. Your home is gorgeous.” She sees the young woman blush as she towels her hands dry._ _ _ _

____“Thanks. I guess it’s my foster parents who get the credit for that. I love it here, though, and my foster mother and sister come to visit pretty often.”_ _ _ _

____“And your aunt?” Cat asks, hoping she’s not prying too much._ _ _ _

____“Oh, yeah. Astra is usually out here all the time, but she’s actually my biological aunt, so, um…not related to my foster family,” Kara explains._ _ _ _

____“Oh, I didn’t realize you had any biological family, Kara. That’s amazing.”_ _ _ _

____Kara smiles wide thinking of her aunt and her unique little extended family. “Yes, it is amazing. I only just found her several years ago, but we’ve been close ever since,” she pauses when a yawn suddenly breaks through and Cat laughs._ _ _ _

____“Bedtime for me, it is,” Kara laughs._ _ _ _

____“Me too, after I take advantage of that tub you mentioned,” Cat says as she makes her way to the bedroom door. She pauses at the doorway and looks back, “I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d love to meet your family someday, Kara. When all this is over, that is.”_ _ _ _

____“I’d really like that,” Kara smiles as she shuffles halfway down the hall, before turning back quickly. “Oh! I have a biological cousin who I’d love for you to meet too. He comes to visit every once in a while. He’s a reporter, like you.”_ _ _ _

____“Yeah?” Cat asks, intrigued at Kara’s ever growing and complex family._ _ _ _

____“Yeah, he lives in Metropolis,” Kara says sleepily, “his name is Clark Kent,” and leaves Cat gaping in the hallway. Cat hears the ‘goodnight’ thrown back from Kara as she ventures further into the bedroom but Kara doesn’t get to see the shocked expression on Cat’s face as she stares after her, long after Kara shuts off the light for the night._ _ _ _


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter up! Life happened and interfered with important supercat business. :) Updates will not be that far apart in the future. Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and comments!!! I'm terrible at replying but please know, I do see them all and they are very much appreciated.

Kara can definitely feel the difference in the temperature when she steps out onto the porch the next morning. The forecast over the last few days has been a bit off, but from the ominous clouds in the distance, even in the first light of day, she can tell that the predicted snowstorm is about to rear its ugly head. She pats her pockets looking for the list Cat had put together the night before and rolls her eyes at herself when she realizes it's still on the counter where she left it.

Meanwhile in the master bedroom, Cat is staring up at the vaulted ceiling. Her eyes trace the knotted wood of the beams, following the swirls of the cracks. She’s been awake for a while, since she first heard Kara fumbling in the kitchen for leftovers from last night. It had taken her a long time to fall asleep, her mind reeling with the knowledge that her very own cowgirl savior was somehow connected to the man in blue. Superman. She smiles wryly. She remembers clearly the day she pointed out to Lois Lane the similarities between the hero and their very own colleague, Clark Kent, but the brunette just stared at her blankly, never catching on. 

So, she gave up trying to out him and decided to help him. To this day, she takes full credit for the signature curl and making him swear on a stack of Daily Planet print that he’d stay away from phone booths in the future. _‘Seriously, Clark. They’re made of glass.’ _The memory makes her chuckle and she turns and curls into the pillow that she’s taken to holding on to during her nights here. The first night in the house, she’d let Carter sleep here in the king size bed with her, but she knows that it’s not a habit she should start. She inhales deeply, breathing in the clean scent of the linens, wonders if Kara’s clothes smell the same. She runs her fingers over the smooth sheets…is she like him? How could she be? It would explain how she’s so fucking… _perfect _.____

____Jesus, she has it bad, she thinks as she rolls her eyes at herself and sits up. She swings her legs over the side of the bed and stretches. She’s already on her feet when she hears the front door open and she wanders out of the bedroom to make sure everything is ok._ _ _ _

____Kara is stepping back in when she sees a very sleep tousled Cat emerge from the master bedroom. Her shoulder length blonde hair is a mess and the soft t-shirt she's wearing has risen up, giving Kara a glimpse of the smooth pale skin of her stomach. She's staring and blushes furiously when she hears the soft clearing of throat. "Uh...mo-, morning, Cat. Sorry, I was just uh.."_ _ _ _

____"Yeah, I know," Cat says with a sly look. "I'm a fright first thing in the morning." Giving the young woman a reprieve this early in the morning seems to be the easiest route._ _ _ _

____"You are," Kara starts, blue eyes twinkling when Cat's head pops up, "anything but a fright." She grins when she sees Cat's eyes soften and clears her throat to chase away her nerves. "I was just headed out for the things from town. Did you think of anything else you might want? With the way the clouds are looking it may a few days before I can get back to the store."_ _ _ _

____"I don’t think so, Kara,” she says sleepily, yawning as she steps closer to the young woman at the kitchen island.____

Kara tilts her head in question. She’s never seen Cat be anything but wide awake first thing in the morning. “Did you sleep ok? You still look tired,” she says, lifting one hand to tuck wayward blonde hair away from Cat’s eyes.

____“Thanks,” Cat replies wryly, a smirk firmly in place, but preening under the attention._ _ _ _

____Kara rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean, Cat.”_ _ _ _

____Cat lets her off the hook. “I may have had some trouble getting to sleep last night…I’ll be fine. It’s not like I’m headed off to the office,” she says with a smile._ _ _ _

____“True,” Kara says, shaking her head. “Tell you what, I just have a few things to get done this afternoon before the snow hits. After I settle Artie with the cattle and horses in the barn, I’ll be on babysitting duty so that you can take a nap.”_ _ _ _

____Cat just stares at her skeptically._ _ _ _

____“Seriously, Carter and I will have a grand time while you rest. I have a feeling that the snow is coming in early afternoon. You don’t know napping until you’ve tried it during the beginning of a snowstorm,” she smiles, reaching up to tuck another strand of hair behind the woman’s ear. She realizes herself a little too late and drops her hand to her side, blushing lightly._ _ _ _

____Cat just stares in wonder at her beautiful protector. Perfect, she decides, is an understatement. “That sounds like a good plan, Kara,” Cat says as she scoops the grocery list off the counter and steps closer to the young woman to tuck it in the pocket of her shirt. She steps in on her tip-toes to place a quick kiss to Kara’s still blushing cheek. “Don’t forget my M &Ms.”_ _ _ _

____\-------------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____In National City, Maxwell Lord paces once again in his office, as he’s done countless times over the past week while his future has been uncertain. He’s threatened and called in every favor he has in this city, not to mention this country to try and find his target, but to no avail. He’s now dependent on one cocky metahuman Marshall who wants a free ride when his cleansing begins._ _ _ _

____He hears the faint buzz as his office door opens and turns to see who has made it past his strict criteria. He’s happy to see that it’s the Marshall he was just thinking about. “Marshall Smythe, I hope you have information for me. Otherwise, we could have settled this somewhere else. Somewhere where the clean-up is a bit…easier.” He stares eerily as she approaches. She doesn’t flinch at his barely veiled threats and it gives him a sliver of hope._ _ _ _

____“Lord, I have information. There’s talk of your hearing coming up early. The Marshall on your case is moving about. I’m sure in the next few days, he may be making a quick trip to retrieve his star witness. I need you to be on stand-by in case I call.” She’s steady and sure in her words._ _ _ _

____“Well, well, I guess you may be useful after all, Marshall Smythe.”_ _ _ _

____\-----------------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____After a hot shower, Kara is clad in her most comfortable sweat pants and t-shirt, snuggled on the overstuffed couch with her favorite guy. The fact that the guy is only three years old is not lost on her, but she couldn’t imagine a better companion…well, maybe besides his mom who is currently napping in the bedroom. She lets out an evil grin as she remembers catching Cat staring at her through the window just a few hours ago. Wood had to be chopped to stock up for the next few days and yes, maybe doing it in just her tank top was a stretch for the cool weather, but she always ran hot. Knowing that Cat was perched at the desk in front of the window didn’t hurt either. Especially since Kara had caught a glimpse of her earlier in the reading glasses she uses when she’s writing. That's an image that won't leave Kara's mind any time soon._ _ _ _

____“Kara,” Carter says, startling her from her daydream, his 'r’s sounding much better now with practice. “We make Olaf when snows?” he asks softly. They had already talked about not waking mama._ _ _ _

____“You want to build a snowman?” Kara asks with a smile._ _ _ _

____“Yes. Build a Olaf to play,” he says with conviction before climbing into her lap. She shifts to turn and stretch out onto the couch and he makes himself comfortable laying his little head upon her chest. The action itself brings tears to her eyes and she chastises herself for being such a sap. She can’t help it though. They’ve had a wonderful, quiet afternoon together in front of the fireplace. The snow has begun falling thickly outside and the sound of the wind occasionally makes itself known against the metal roof of the house. She worries briefly about her animals but knows that they are put away tight in the spacious barn down the hill with Artie, who will snuggle in with the calves to stay warm and keep them calm._ _ _ _

____The heavy snow outside has blocked most of the natural light from coming through the windows and before long, the last half of ‘Frozen’ goes unwatched as both Kara and Carter doze off in the darkened living room. That’s how Cat finds them a short while later. She slept soundly for a few hours with the soft flutter of snow hitting the windows, but now she’s wide awake and staring as her baby boy clutches to his new best friend. She takes soft steps towards them, reaching down and running her fingers through his hair. She can’t help herself and lifts her hand to Kara’s cheek as well. She slides the back of her fingers down her cheek and sighs. She turns quietly to go into the kitchen in her socked feet to make herself a cup of coffee and a snack, but can’t shake the smile from her face at the sweet scene she just witnessed. She’s just adding milk to her coffee when she hears movement behind her._ _ _ _

____“Mama?” Carter asks as he steps towards her, rubbing his eyes the whole way. “You wake now?” Cat looks up to see an equally sleepy Kara smiling from her place leaning upon the doorway._ _ _ _

____“Yes, sweetheart. I’m awake. Did you fall asleep watching your movie?” she asks as she stoops down to gather him in her arms. She lifts him easily and sets him down upon the edge of the counter in the circle of her arms, feeling Kara’s presence behind her._ _ _ _

____“Yes, fell sleep. Mama, can we make Olaf?” he asks very succinctly. “Kara likes Olaf too.”_ _ _ _

____Her eyebrows raise just a bit. “Olaf?”_ _ _ _

____“Um…,” Kara speaks up softly. “Olaf is a snowman. He’s in the movie we were watching.”_ _ _ _

____“Ah. Ok. Well, maybe we can make Olaf on the porch?” Cat asks, looking to Kara’s face for an answer. “I’m not sure how heavy the snow will keep coming down today, darling,” she continues, running her fingers through his curls again. He’ll need a haircut soon, she muses._ _ _ _

____“Ok,” he says happily. “Cheese fish?”_ _ _ _

____Kara lets out a light snort and Cat swats at her below the counter. “You want goldfish crackers?” she asks, knowing her son has developed a taste for the fun snack since Kara brought them home the other day._ _ _ _

____“Gold fishies,” he nods._ _ _ _

____She lifts him off the counter and he starts back towards the living room immediately. She shakes her head as shelaughs and turns towards the cabinets to fetch his snack, but still feels Kara’s presence behind her. “You want cheese fish too, Marshall,” she asks teasingly. She startles a bit when she feels Kara’s arms on either side of her, blocking her in between the young woman and the granite countertop._ _ _ _

____“Did you sleep?” she hears Kara ask softly. “I’m having a great time with him if you want to lay back down.”_ _ _ _

____She lets out a shaky breath and closes her eyes. The soft touches that they have shared, no matter how innocent, have begun to take their toll on her will power…both of theirs apparently. She turns in between Kara’s arms and leans back against the edge of the counter. She looks up into soft, blue eyes. “I slept,” she whispers, lifts her hands to Kara’s forearms and slides them slowly upwards, to the underside of her biceps. She squeezes there, “Thank you for taking care of him.” She sees those blue eyes flutter close at the first squeeze of her fingers and she takes a deep breath, knowing that she’s pushing the edge of this thing developing between them._ _ _ _

____“You’re welcome,” Kara breathes out, feels her muscles clench in response to Cat’s touch, “but there’s no need to thank me. It means so much that you trust me with him.”_ _ _ _

____Cat chuckles softly. “I’ve never trusted someone so easily,” she replies, moving her fingers now, to stroke up and down the visible muscles in Kara’s arms. She can feel them shaking underneath her fingertips._ _ _ _

____Kara closes her eyes again at the feeling, but can only keep them closed for so long. Her eyes pop open to meet Cat’s and she can’t help but move closer, to draw herself closer to the lips she’s been dreaming of for the past week. She knows Cat wants the same and is only centimeters away when they both hear a call from the living room that breaks the spell. “Mama! Need help with cheesy fish?” Carter asks and they pull back from each other just as his little feet bring him around the corner._ _ _ _

____Kara steps back even further, takes a few deep breaths and stops when she feels tiny taps on her knees. “Kara, up?” he asks, holding his little arms up in question. She bends immediately and lifts him into her arms with a smile._ _ _ _

____“Somebody’s hungry,” she jokes, tickling his stomach and turning her eyes to his mother who is staring at both of them with a fond, loving smile._ _ _ _

____He giggles uncontrollably in her arms for a few seconds before Kara relents. “Mama, come see Olaf?”_ _ _ _

____“Of course, darling,” Cat replies, her face still flushed from before. “I’ll be right there.”_ _ _ _

____\------------------------------------_ _ _ _

____Olaf doesn’t get built that night. The wind and snow howl outside violently, even strong enough to make the lights flicker a few times. Kara puts Cat at ease every time, promising her that the heat will stay on no matter what and that she has a backup generator if the power does go out. Carter stays oblivious to the howling winds, more occupied with the lego set that Kara picked up in town that day to be bothered with something as trivial as a snowstorm. Cat continues to tell her that she will repay her for all the things she has bought him, but Kara hardly seems to care when even the tiniest things makes him so happy._ _ _ _

____“How’s your writing coming?” Kara asks after a particularly strong gust of wind. She sees Cat tense at the sound and decides to try and distract her. “I saw you at the desk today.”_ _ _ _

____Cat turns accusing eyes on her tormentor. She knew Kara was taunting her. “I’m sure you did, Miss Lumberjack.” Kara just gives her wide, innocent eyes in response as she helps Carter break apart a stuck Lego. Cat rolls her eyes. “It’s going really well, actually.”_ _ _ _

____“Have you ever written before? I mean, I know, you’re a journalist, but like, books?” Kara splits her attention between the two of them as she slips down onto the rug to help build._ _ _ _

____“No,” Cat sighs wistfully. “No, I’ve never written a book, but it’s always been my plan. I always thought maybe when I retired from the world of media, but I think maybe now that’s not the right choice.”_ _ _ _

____“Oh. So, you’ve changed your mind?” Kara asks, tilting her head in question. She’s surprised, seeing as how happy Cat has been with her laptop in hand._ _ _ _

____“Oh, not about writing,” Cat corrects quickly. “Just about when. I don’t think waiting is the right thing to do.” She glances up to Kara’s face to see her reaction. It’s definitely…interested. “I think taking a break from the rat race may be my next step, to focus on writing, to be more present for Carter.”_ _ _ _

____“It would be a big change,” Kara says slowly._ _ _ _

____“Definitely,” Cat agrees. “but I think I’ve had it wrong these last few years. Working as much as I do, being away from him when he’s becoming this little person right before my eyes. I don’t want to miss any more of it than I already have.” She stops talking for a few seconds as she gazes out the dark windows. She can see the snow flurries piling up onto the window sill. “I think he said more words to me this morning while I was making eggs than we would have shared in an entire day back home. He’s known his nanny more than me…and that’s not something I can go back to now, not after the time I’ve had with him here.” Another long pause. “I wasn’t kidding when I said it before, Kara. Being here, it’s like magic. It clears away all the excess things that don’t matter.”_ _ _ _

____Kara can only nod in response, surprised but happy that Cat has found such clarity in such a short time. “This place has always helped me to decompress, to focus on the important things.”_ _ _ _

____Cat catches her eyes and there’s a fierceness that wasn’t there before. “It’s not just the place.” Kara is unable to look away. She flushes with Cat’s words, knows that she is referring to her, to this thing that has been pulling them closer and closer together, but the quiet is broken when they hear Carter’s soft voice._ _ _ _

____“Mama?” he says as he approaches her, rubbing his eyes sleepily._ _ _ _

____“Yes, baby, let’s get you tucked in warm in bed, alright?” She stands and lifts him into her arms where he settles easily upon her shoulder._ _ _ _

____“Night, cowboy,” he murmurs as they make their way down the hall._ _ _ _

____Kara smiles as she rises to her feet. She takes a few minutes to shut off the television and quickly scoop up the toys from the rug. She checks the front door and cuts off the lights in the kitchen before flicking off the lights in the living room as well. She’s started down the hall when a hand darts out to catch her arm and pulls her into the master bedroom. She finds herself pressed against the wall in the bedroom with a firm hand upon her chest in the dark. The only light in the room is slanting in from the hallway and she gasps as it catches the fierce green in Cat’s eyes. “Earlier in the kitchen, you were going to kiss me,” she hears Cat whisper._ _ _ _

____Kara knows she shouldn’t. Getting involved could compromise her responsibilities here, it could even compromise their safety, but they are long past denying their attraction. “Yes,” she says quietly. She lays her hands flat against the wall behind her to keep from reaching out._ _ _ _

____Cat just stares, from her eyes down to her lips and back again. After a few long moments and baited breaths, Kara hears, “Kiss me now.”_ _ _ _


	8. Chapter 8

_Kiss me now. ___

__Kara hears the soft words echo in her head and she closes her eyes, flexes her tense fingers against the wall. She can feel her heart beating double-time against her chest and knows Cat must feel the pounding against her fingers where they rest. She opens her eyes when she feels the touch of Cat’s other hand, sliding against her chest and up around her neck. Blunt fingernails scratch at the nape of her neck and she gasps._ _

__“Kara,” Cat whispers as she rises up onto her toes. She runs the tip of her nose against the soft skin right beneath Kara’s ear, breathing in the scent of her, the warmth of her body. “Please don’t make me wait anymore.”_ _

__“Cat,” Kara swallows harshly, stretching her neck against the pleasant sensation. “We…we shouldn’t do this. I know I almost, in the kitchen, but…ugh, god…” she trails off as Cat takes her time and rakes her teeth along the taught cords of her neck. “I’m here to protect you, to keep you safe,” she breathes out roughly, tilting her head slightly to give Cat more room to peruse. Every word out of her mouth is in strict contradiction to her body’s reaction._ _

__“You are keeping me safe,” Cat murmurs from her very comfortable spot tucked into Kara’s body, hips against hips, breasts barely touching. “You’ll keep me even safer from my bed,” she whispers, drawing even closer, squeezing her arms up and around Kara’s neck to draw her down._ _

__Kara smiles at that, unable to argue with the woman’s sound logic. Her hands finally leave the wall to settle softly around Cat’s waist, making the older woman arch into her even more. Cat trails her hands from behind Kara’s neck down the middle of her chest and down her flat, firm stomach. She ends at her waist where she slips her hands beneath the young woman’s shirt, smoothing around her slim middle, relishing in the heat of her. Kara’s skin practically burns under her touch and she can hardly wait to feel that warmth pressed fully against her, holding her tight._ _

__Kara breathes out a harsh breath at the touch and gasps playfully again when she sees a grin on Cat’s face, “You’ve had your eyes on me all along, haven’t you? Been waiting to bring me to my knees,” she asks with a teasing face, her mouth quirked and her eyes narrowed._ _

__Cat cocks her head thoughtfully, “Mmm. Probably from the first moment I saw you, Marshall.” She brings her hands to meet behind the small of Kara’s back. “But I think you’ve felt the same.” Cat lifts up onto her toes again to bring her lips to Kara’s chin. She kisses there softly before gracing the curve of it with her teeth. “We’ve all had to throw professionalism to the wind sometimes, Kara.”_ _

__Kara finally squeezes the hands she has around her waist and dips her head to bring her lips close to Cat’s. “Yeah?” she asks lightly._ _

__“Mmmm, yes. It happens to the best of us,” Cat says right before she catches her lips in her own and ends the conversation._ _

__\-------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Kara wakes up before the sun, as always. It’s so quiet here, sometimes it feels as though she can almost feel the turn of the earth beneath her feet. That feeling has always been what’s she’s craved, until now. She tightens her hold on the warm body in her arms, buries her nose in Cat’s silky, soft hair. It’s been a long time since she’s held a lover close, and now, she knows that there will never, ever be any comparison. This woman in her arms is her new aesthetic and Kara has known for a while that she wouldn’t have it any other way._ _

__Cat stretches in her spot, pushes her body back into hers in a wave. Kara pulls her against her and smooths her hands against the curves of her body. She exhales sharply at the sensation. Skin against skin. Heartbeat against…not quite, so Kara turns on her arm, lifts herself up as she settles back into her place. Cat’s legs fall open even in her slumbering state and Kara hums low as hips meet hips and she is welcomed once again into the warmth of Cat’s body. Heartbeat to heartbeat._ _

__She looks down on her body, closes her eyes as glimpses of the night before attack her senses. The playful smile on Cat’s lips. The way she begged Kara to kiss her more. The sounds Cat made when Kara kissed her breasts, her stomach. The sound she made when she sunk her fingers inside her. Kara hisses in a breath and settles her hips gently down against Cat’s once again. She wants to hear them again. She wants to hear them for a lifetime. She wants to hear their heartbeats in sync._ _

__“Mmmm…” Cat hums at the delicious pressure, only partially awake. She stretches in her place again, relishes in the heat of the body above hers and runs her hands over the strong arms that stretch out above her. She lifts her legs around the slim hips in between hers, still a little sore from their time together last night, but longing for more.  
“You ok?” Kara asks, laying light kisses against the side of her neck. _ _

__“Very much ok,” she replies, pushing herself up to capture her lips in a fierce kiss. She snarls her hands in the thickness of Kara’s hair and pulls her forward. “It’s still dark? Can’t sleep?” she asks, tightening her fingers in her hair._ _

__“Not with you in my bed,” Kara murmurs, dropping her lips to Cat’s chest, dragging her lips across the soft skin, landing on a tight nipple._ _

__“Oohhh,” Cat moans as she arches her back. “I thought I tired you out, Danvers,” she hisses as Kara kisses her way across and focuses in on her other breast._ _

__Kara chuckles. “No, I think I tired you out. You fell asleep on me last night,” she trails off happily, running her lips across the woman’s stomach. “I’m ahead in the count, Cat.”  
“Ugh…I’ve always loved a challenge,” Cat says just before she flips them over._ _

__\-------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Cat can’t really take her eyes off of Kara as she stands at the stove in her sweatpants and navy blue tank top. She’s even in bare feet and Cat files it away as one more tiny piece of evidence that she may be extraordinary. Even with the fireplace roaring in the living room and the fluffy socks and the soft hoodie Kara had lovingly placed over her head earlier this morning, she is still chilled to the bone._ _

__She wonders maybe if its subconscious. The entire hillside and mountains in the distance are blanketed in pure white snow, casting the land into a wintery wonderland like she’s only ever seen in movies. It’s cold and there’s not really any way to get around it._ _

__Carter seems comfortable though, in his feetie pajamas next to her at the bar, where he’s swinging his little legs and drinking form a warmed cup of milk._ _

__Maybe she’s just chilled from not being in the young woman’s arms like she was the entire night before. The though makes her smile, one which widens even more when a star shaped pancake is laid down on the plate in front of her._ _

__“A star for the star reporter,” Kara delivers with a wink before walking back to her griddle. Cat glares playfully. “And a brontosaurus for our own dinosaur aficionado.” Kara slides the masterpiece on the plate and watches as Carters eyes widen in amazement._ _

__“Little foot?” he asks in awe. He follows the long curved neck with his little finger, counts the four legs and taps at the tail with a giggle._ _

__“Well, as close to little foot as I can get with a pancake, little man,” Kara says wryly._ _

__“I’d say that’s pretty close,” Cat states as she smiles at Carter’s enthusiasm. “What does the cowboy get?” she asks with a teasing twinkle to her eye._ _

__Kara grins as she turns her back for a second to grab her plate. She walks to the bar and sets down a tall stack of horseshoe pancakes, covered in butter and syrup. “Had to stick with the theme,” she says before cutting off a small bite and lifting it to Cat’s lips. She takes it gladly, smiling when the sweet, rich flavor hits her taste buds._ _

__“Kara,” Carter states matter-of-factly as he tries to cut little foot into bite size pieces himself. Both women turn to regard him. “You cook pancakes more,” he nods in satisfaction. “You good pancakes.”_ _

__The women turn back to face each other with amused smiles. “The jury has spoken, Kara. Pancakes every day,” Cat nods as she lifts another bite of her breakfast to her lips with a contented grin._ _

__\--------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__“Mama! Mama!,” Carter exclaims through the front window. He taps against the window with his gloved index finger just like Kara taught him. Cat immediately looks over from her spot at the coffee maker where she’s brewing two cups. She sees the tiny snowman behind him, misshapen in his own doing. The middle layer is smaller, causing the bigger head to lean. God, it’s so adorable, she doesn’t know what to do._ _

__She smiles so bright that Kara falters in her snowman building. She meets Kara’s eyes and the tiny snowman that she had beneath her hands crumples without a thought. She’s only distracted enough by Carter’s giggles to realize what’s she’s done. “Cowboy, you melt Olaf,” Carter giggles, dropping onto the snowy porch in a heap. He protects his own ‘Olaf’ with his two gloved hands, looking back at Kara teasingly, trying valiantly to put himself in between the two to save his Olaf from the dangerous cowboy._ _

__“Ok, you two. Take a break from snowman building to come warm up,” Cat calls from inside the front door._ _

__Kara rises to her feet slowly and lifts out a hand to her best guy to go inside. “C’mon, little man. Mama made you some hot chocolate.”_ _

__“Hot shock?” he asks, immediately waddling over to Kara in his thick pants._ _

__“Yes, little man. Hot shock, just for you,” Kara replies, smiling as she lifts him with one hand and sweeps him inside._ _

__\---------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__“Have I told you how much I enjoy this tub?” Cat asks from her spot in the circle of Kara’s arms. They hadn’t waited long after Carter succumbed to his bedtime for the day to steal away to the steamy retreat of Kara’s master bathroom. They’re only lit by candlelight and Kara can literally feel the bubbles popping against their skin. She pulls Cat’s hair to one side and tucks her face in her neck to breathe her in._ _

__Kara chuckles. “You’ve mentioned it…what makes you love it, Miss Grant?”_ _

__“Oh, we’re getting snarky, are we?” Cat asks again as she rubs her fragrant soap in her hands up and down the lines of Kara’s arm. She admires the sinew of her muscles as they flex and wane in the flickering light, loves the way they tighten around her when Kara pulls her close._ _

__“Not snarky, Cat, just inquisitive…” Kara says, smoothing the soap bar in her own hand down a smooth soft leg extended along one side of the tub. She realizes the importance of what she holds in her hands. She lives in the middle of nowhere just to get away from the noise and bustle of the city and she now holds one of the most desirable legs in all of the country in her hands. “You’re so beautiful, Cat,” she whispers against her temple._ _

__Cat dips her leg back into the tub and sits up, turns slowly in Kara’s arms and straddles her waist. She pulls their chests together, slick and warm with the heat of the water. She leans down with her hands resting on the back of the tub. “I’m nothing compared to you, darling,” she whispers before touching their lips together. They linger lightly, not rushed, and their tongues come to touch and play. “There’s so much I want to know about you, Kara,” Cat whispers when they part. “I’ve never felt this way before,” she confesses, trailing her lips across the young woman’s cheek._ _

__“Me either,” Kara replies softly. “We have time, Cat. Time to learn.” She pauses when she needs to take a deep breath at the teasing bites of Cat’s teeth along her throat._ _

__“Think so?” Cat asks warily._ _

__“I’ll make sure of it,” Kara says fiercely, tightening her hands around Cat’s slick sides and pulling her closer._ _

__\--------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__James flicks the light off in his bedroom before walking to the windows to draw the curtains. He’s taken every precaution known to man to make sure his plans are secure, but there is no wiggle room in this case. Cat Grant is on Maxwell Lord’s hit list as well as every other deviant in his reach. They’ve all somehow gotten wind of the rushed trial date and he has been ducking corners for days._ _

__He waits an hour and a half before he turns on the tv in the bedroom, giving him just enough light to pack a bag under the cover of a sleepless night. He’ll slip out the maintenance exit between three and four a.m. to jog several blocks to the light rail and head downtown. There’s a free greenbus that runs at 6 a.m. to the airport, all ticketless, all anonymous. He has everything planned out._ _

__At 3:16 a.m., James Olsen steps out into the alleyway behind his apartment, seemingly unnoticed._ _

__But he’s not._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I was going to stretch this out, make it more of a 'slow-burn' in definition...but...I just couldn't. After this last week, I needed fluff and I needed it now. 
> 
> As always, I'm txnmcky on tumblr. If any of you need someone to talk to, to rant to, to just have an outlet, I'm here. We're all in this together. I love you all.


	9. Chapter 9

Cat sighs in contentment as she settles into her new favorite writing spot at the west window. The desk is small but perfect for a laptop and a small notebook. She sets her coffee down on the far edge after taking a sip and glances over to her son, who is happy and content playing with his newest set of dinosaurs, the most recent addition that Kara has made to his toy collection. By this rate, she would need a U-haul to move out of here. The thought makes her smile for only a fraction of a second before she frowns, disheartened at ever leaving this place. This _home _that has become the safest place she’s ever felt and the young woman that makes it that way.__

__“Mama!” enthusiastically said from right beside her. She turns, surprised to find her curly headed son standing next to her waiting patiently, a stegosaurus in one hand, a t-rex in the other._ _

__“Yes, darling?” she says, turning in her seat to regard him._ _

__“Mama,” he says, taking a breath in his excitement. “Choptoof and Sara,” he says, holding up his plastic figurines._ _

__She smiles at his pronunciation, it’s getting better every day, especially with how much Kara engages him in conversation. “Yes, my love, that is Sharptooth and Cera. Good job,” she tugs him close and kisses his forehead. ‘God bless Kara’s love of animated movies’ she says to herself. She watches as he trots off happily back to the plush rug on the living room floor where the rest of the figures lay. He’s so happy here and with only the simplest of things. It makes her scoff at the ‘things’ she’s worked so hard for in her life. Maybe they haven’t really done her any good…_ _

__Cat Grant has enjoyed more than her fair share of luxuries. She was born into a family that wanted for nothing, therefore she wanted for nothing. The best of everything. The best schools, the best clothes, the best car…That is, until she decided as a senior in high school that she wanted to be a reporter._ _

__To say her mother disapproved is an understatement._ _

__It drew a rift between them that only gets wider as the years go on. She broke away from them at the time, hurt at her mother’s stark dismissal, but her father never let her go. He was always there for her, paying her tuition even when she’d already applied for loans. Giving her cash and a credit card even when she took on a student worker job to pay the bills. He supported her no matter what, as her mother waited in the side-lines for her to come crying for forgiveness, to fall back into the boring path she had already carved out for her. She never did._ _

__When her father passed, she thought maybe they could come together. Maybe they could have some sort of relationship…but Katherine Grant retreated more into herself than she had ever been before. “Nothing’s changed, Kitty,” her mother murmured from behind an amber filled glass in her father’s study. “Now your father won’t be here to quell our arguing. That is definitely not an improvement.”_ _

__So, Cat stopped trying to talk, but she kept in touch as much as she thought was necessary. She sent birthday bouquets and Christmas cards. She even wrote her mother letters to let her know what was happening in her life, a very special one when she became pregnant with Carter, explaining her reasons and the longing that she just couldn’t ignore, but she never received a response. She decided that maybe that was for the best. Cat could only imagine the vitriol that would come over her having a child on her own._ _

__She’s sure that disdain would only worsen if Cat had told her the stark truth of why having a child on her own was the best choice. Her mother had pushed her at more eligible young men in high school and college for her to suspect she knew her preferences for women, but was urging Cat to fight them._ _

__Cat didn’t fight. She dated in college, but nothing serious. She had one serious relationship at the Daily Planet, but she knew in the long run, their combined stubbornness would do them in. Since then except for a few random dates here and there, she’s been on her own, until Carter came along, and she’d thought for a long time that maybe that was how it was meant to be._ _

__Then Maxwell Lord happened. Then witness protection happened. And then Kara Danvers happened. And Cat can’t ever think of her life without the young woman again, even if she has lingering questions about Kara’s lineage. Questions that she knows need answers if they are going to build on what they’ve started here together. Questions Cat knows she should ask very soon…_ _

__She’s shaken out of her musings by Carter’s excited yelps from the opposite window. She tugs her reading glasses off her nose to see what all the fuss is about and glances out into the much-welcomed sunshine. Artie rounds the house in a blur, her paws sliding a bit in the snowy slush that remains after their few snow days stuck inside. She’s chasing after a Frisbee that’s soaring in a wide circle a few feet above the ground and with a quick, almost impossible looking leap, she’s in the air and catching it between her teeth, falling back onto four paws as though she weighs nothing._ _

__Carter is ecstatic, jumping up and down in his socked feet, waiting for more of the show and Cat is so enamored with his happiness that she almost misses the tell-tale thunder of hooves coming around the house._ _

__Almost._ _

__Speaking of Kara…she looks back out the window just in time to see her tall, lanky lover lean over out of the saddle as she sweeps by and snatches the Frisbee from Artie’s mouth, one hand wrapped in the reigns. Cat wonders if that sight will ever not send chills up her spine. She doubts it._ _

__Kara gallops a wide circle and watches with a grin as the dog crouches in position, waiting to see which way she will toss this time. Kara has just pulled her arm back when she spots two sets of eyes watching intently. It gives her a tiny bit of pause, before she pulls back again, a bit shorter this time and lets the disc fly. The shepherd takes off down the hill like a shot and Kara looks back and catches Cat’s eyes through the window, makes a motion to the porch._ _

__Cat steps out into the cold morning air, wrapping her unzipped jacket around her tighter to keep out the wind. She looks back at the door and waggles her fingers at Carter, who is patiently waiting with his sippy-cup. She takes a few steps forward to lean her shoulder against one of the columns of the wide front porch as she watches Mason trot forward slowly with her keeper on his back._ _

__“Morning, ma’am,” Kara says slyly, as she tips her hat in her direction, sweeping her eyes up Cat’s skinny legged jeans with a smile._ _

__“Marshall,” Cat murmurs, unable to keep the quirk from the corner of her lips. “I woke up alone this morning. I don’t remember that being a part of my protection package.”_ _

__“Hmm, sorry Miss Grant, I’ll be sure to make up for that lapse in other ways.” Kara lets out a tiny grin and she straightens her back noticeably._ _

__“You better.”_ _

__Kara laughs. “Sorry, Cat. It’s the first day with sunshine and I wanted to give the animals as much time outside as I could.”_ _

__“I figured,” Cat says with a nod. “No worries, darling. Getting to see you all cowgirled up makes up for it,” she waves a hand in Kara’s general direction. “Will you be free for lunch?”_ _

__“Definitely,” Kara sighs, wishing her chores were done already. She gives a little wave to her favorite guy and gets an enthusiastic return. She tugs to turn Mason back down the hill, “See you soon. I may need some warming up when I get in,” she says with a wink as she gallops off._ _

__\------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Overall, it’s been an insanely productive day. Cat has pages and pages of new work to build on, Carter has a lego foundation that he is very proud of and Kara spent the majority of the day on the back of a horse, which means she did her job well._ _

__Cat slides into the seat closest to Kara at the dining room table. She’s just put Carter down for the night after dinner together and waits patiently as Kara reads through her latest pages. Trusting the young woman with something so new to her is terrifying, but Cat knows that she will get an honest answer. She straightens when Kara minimizes the window._ _

__Blue eyes catch hers. “Cat, this is…really, really good.”_ _

__Cat just stares._ _

__“Seriously,” Kara laughs as she reaches forward to grab at Cat’s hands. “The framework of the plot is so intricate and the character development is perfection. Really, I read a lot of books,” she laughs again as she points to the far wall full of bookshelves. “I should know.”_ _

__She finally relaxes. “Thank you, Kara. That means more than you know.”_ _

__“I seriously can’t wait for more, so, you know. Get to work,” she says playfully, pushing at Cat’s hands again only to have the older woman reach out and tug her closer for a kiss._ _

__“Mmmm,” Cat hums as she licks her lips after they part. “You’ll be the first to read, that’s for sure.”_ _

__“Protective custody privilege?” Kara jokes._ _

__“Lover privilege,” Cat murmurs in response, tugging the blonde’s lips back to hers. They part a few seconds later and Cat smooths her hand over Kara’s flushed cheek and into her hair. “There’s…um…” she trails off as she almost loses her nerve, dropping her eyes to the table top in between them._ _

__“Hey,” Kara says softly. “You can ask me anything, you know that.”_ _

__Cat looks back up. Kara’s eyes are so soft, so welcoming. So honest. She feels guilty for even thinking of asking. “Actually, I just…I have a question. About you…but I don’t want you to think that the answer changes anything about the way I feel with you…or about you.”_ _

__Kara regards her seriously before nodding. “Ok.”_ _

__She takes a deep breath before speaking, her brow crinkling as she thinks over the best way to approach the subject. “I…I started my career at the Daily Planet, many years ago,” she says with a dismissive wave that makes Kara smile. “And when I was still there, just about to break out on my own, a young reporter from Kansas started.” She stops and looks up, hoping for a glint of recognition in Kara’s eyes. She’s not disappointed._ _

__Kara swallows thickly, squeezing her fingers around the ones still resting in her own. “Um…you mean, you know Clark?” Her eyes are hopeful but wary._ _

__Cat nods. “I know Clark. I know his now-wife, Lois…” she trails off._ _

__Kara just keeps taking those deep breaths._ _

__“Kara,” Cat pauses, pulls Kara’s arm closer to her own and wraps herself around what she can reach. “I know the other name that Clark goes by as well…”_ _

__“His other name…” Kara repeats as if in a trance._ _

__Cat rolls her eyes a tiny bit, chastising herself as she does it, but still. “Yes, darling. His _other _name,” she emphasizes as she draws an imaginary diamond shape on her chest with her free hand.___ _

____“Uh…Cat,” Kara tries to laugh it all off, but Cat sees right through it, sees the nervousness in her eyes. She sees the shaking of her fingers._ _ _ _

____“Kara,” she breathes out. “Remember what I said?_ _ _ _

____“Yeah?”_ _ _ _

____“Whatever your answer is…it doesn’t change the way I feel about you,” Cat says with conviction._ _ _ _

____Kara falters, biting her lower lip between her teeth but never letting Cat’s fingers go from their grasp. “I…I’m…” she stops, still staring into the older woman’s eyes before she cocks her head pointedly. She squeezes her hand one last time before pulling free. “I’m not deflecting,” she says with a pointed finger as she stands from the table. “There’s someone coming.”_ _ _ _

____Cat startles and pushing back quickly. “Do I…do I need to wake Carter?” she asks in a panic._ _ _ _

____Kara holds out a hand from the front door, gives Cat a small smile to comfort her. “No, it’s ok. Just let me step outside. I’m going to take a look, ok?”_ _ _ _

____Cat can only nod, putting her trust in the Marshall. She watches as Kara ducks out the front door, leaving the porch light off as she leans over the side of the house. The door is opening back up before she realizes._ _ _ _

____“It’s ok,” Kara breathes as she steps back in quickly. “It’s James.”_ _ _ _

____“You’re sure?” Cat asks sharply, her hands shaking when Kara steps close and takes them._ _ _ _

____“I’m sure, Cat.” Kara steps even closer and tugs Cat’s forehead to her own. “What we were talking about before…we’ll continue that conversation, ok?”_ _ _ _

____Cat nods and Kara steps back, seeing the lights from the SUV as they crawl across the wall of the dining room._ _ _ _

____“I’m going to invite him in, if that’s ok?” Kara asks, her eyebrows raised in question._ _ _ _

____Cat nods immediately. “Of course, yes,” she says, stepping closer to the front door as Kara steps outside after flipping on the light. She sees the two Marshalls share a brief embrace and a few short words before James’ eyes dart to hers behind the glass door. He gives her a smile and a quick nod before Kara is darting back up to the door. She pulls it open just in time for the blonde to stick her head in._ _ _ _

____“Hey. Since it’s so late, I’m going to get him settled in the cabin. I’ll be back before you know it,” she smiles._ _ _ _

____Cat can’t help but smile back and Kara darts back out. “Kara!” she says sharply, knowing she will hear._ _ _ _

____“Yeah?” she sticks her head back in the door._ _ _ _

____“You might want to wear a jacket,” Cat says, Kara’s thick barn coat hanging from her finger._ _ _ _

____“Oh! Yes, jacket.” She’s back out the door in an instant._ _ _ _

____“Kara…” Cat says again, this time with a tiny bit of annoyance._ _ _ _

____“Yeah?”_ _ _ _

____“Boots may also be a good idea,” Cat says with a smirk, before turning on her heel and heading for the bedroom._ _ _ _

____Kara slips into her boots by the door with a grimace and trots down the steps to climb into the SUV beside her friend and colleague._ _ _ _

____James puts it into reverse to head down the hill to the cabin. “So,” he begins smugly. “It’s been less than two weeks and you’re already whipped.”_ _ _ _

____Kara glares._ _ _ _

____“I think we’ve got a lot to talk about…” James says, laughing heartily as he steers the dark SUV down the hill._ _ _ _


	10. Chapter 10

_James puts it into reverse to head down the hill to the cabin. “So,” he begins smugly. “It’s been less than two weeks and you’re already whipped.”  
Kara glares._

_“I think we’ve got a lot to talk about…” James says, laughing heartily as he steers the dark SUV down the hill. ___

__“There’s not…there’s nothing to talk about, James. I don’t know what you’re going on about,” Kara laughs nervously, fidgeting with her seatbelt before reaching down to tug her jeans over the top of her boots._ _

__James just cuts his eyes at her with a knowing, shit-eating grin. “You’re all shacked up with the hot mom from the big city…” he teases._ _

__Kara whirls her head around with an aghast expression. “That…that’s exactly what Astra called her. Did you talk to her?”_ _

__James laughs. “No, I haven’t talked to her.”_ _

__Kara glares._ _

__“I’m serious, Kara! You know I’m afraid of J’onn,” he says seriously as he parks the SUV to the side of the small cabin tucked down the hill._ _

__“Oh yeah, I forgot you’re a big pus…”_ _

__“As I was saying,” James interrupts loudly, pointing a finger at Kara as she reaches in the backseat to grab his duffel. “You, um. You really like her?” he asks._ _

__Kara shuts the back door and comes around to the front of the SUV where the headlights are still shining its bright beams, highlighting the fluttering snowflakes that are beginning to fall. “More than like,” she murmurs, finally meeting his kind eyes._ _

__“Good.” He nods and reaches out to slap her in the stomach as he walks towards the front door. “Because Cat Grant may be the only person on earth stubborn enough to give you a run for your money.”_ _

__Kara is silent for just a few seconds before, “Hey! What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jimmy?” She marches after him into the now lit cabin._ _

__“Don’t call me Jimmy!”_ _

__\------------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__When Kara walks back into the house a half hour later, she finds most of it already dark. She takes her time to check the front door and windows and even pokes her head in to check on Carter. She finds him sleeping soundly, so she turns and heads in socked feet towards the master bedroom. The room is mostly dark, but the soft light from the bathroom shines in. “Cat,” she calls lightly, not wanting to startle the woman._ _

__“In here,” comes the slightly subdued response._ _

__Kara pushes the door open to find the blonde, wrapped in her fluffy robe, sitting on the edge of the tub squeezing the dampness from her freshly washed hair. When she lifts her head, Kara sees tear tracks down her face and she instantly falls to her knees at Cat’s feet. She brings her hands to cup her face, wiping the tears as she goes. “Baby, what’s wrong?” she asks softly, almost in tears herself to see the woman so distraught._ _

__Cat smiles and more tears escape. “No one has ever called me that before,” she murmurs. She wraps her hands around Kara’s wrists and holds on._ _

__“Is…I’ve never called anyone that before,” Kara admits. “Is that ok?” Cat can only nod. “What’s wrong, Cat?” Kara whispers._ _

__“I…I thought we’d have more time,” she looks up and Kara instantly knows what’s upsetting her so. “I thought we’d have more time before I had to testify…before we had to leave. I don’t want to leave you,” she says the last part in a fierce whisper._ _

__Kara shuffles closer on her knees and tugs Cat’s forehead to rest on her own. “I’ll be with you every step of the way, Cat. I promise.” She breathes out a sigh of relief at the older woman’s admission. Kara knows what she feels, but she hasn’t even imagined that Cat could feel the same…that she could want…more. It doesn’t even seem real._ _

__“You will?”_ _

__Kara nods and places soft kisses around Cat’s face, catching some of the salty tears as they fall._ _

__“And…after?”_ _

__Kara sits back so that she can look into the hazel eyes so close to her own. “After…Cat, I want to be with you.” She relaxes when she only sees relief in response and she lifts on her knees again to kiss her lips. “I know it’s more complicated than that. I know we’re from completely different lifestyles, but I know how you make me feel, Catherine Grant.” Kara smooths Cat’s wayward curls away from her face and behind her ears. “I know…that we will figure it out.”_ _

__Cat nods happily, smiling. “We’ll figure it out.” She reaches her hands up to cup Kara’s face, bringing her closer into a sweet kiss, which quickly deepens with the emotions they just laid bare. She gasps a few moments later when she feels lips make their way down her neck in a teasing trail of bites and kisses. “So,” another gasp. “This could be our last night here for a while.” Cat tightens her hold in Kara’s long thick hair and tugs her even closer._ _

__“It could be,” Kara murmurs. “We should make the most of it,” she says as she tugs at the belt of Cat’s robe._ _

__\----------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Cat wakes in a cocoon of warmth. She reaches back behind her and finds the space empty of her superheated lover, but between the plush bed-topper and the softest comforter she’s ever felt, she still feels the heat of her._ _

__She pokes her head out to gauge the time by the light in the window, but as it has been the last few days, there’s no sunshine to go by. It’s another overcast day with light winds and probably snow flutters…and god, when did she become an expert on the weather. She chuckles to herself as she sits up in bed, tugging the covers close to her naked form._ _

__She smells pancakes. And bacon. And she hears laughter, from Kara and her son and a man…must be James._ _

__She hums and hugs the blankets close. She wants to hear some of that laughter every morning and now that she knows that Kara wants it too, it makes her giddy. Something she has never, ever considered herself capable of. Giddiness._ _

__She snorts out a laugh before jumping out of bed and rushing to the bathroom to dress. She has a breakfast to get to and a trial to sort out so that she can begin the next chapter of her life._ _

__\--------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__“Ok. Mr. Carter Grant…a triceratops for you,” Kara says as she slides a three-horned dinosaur-ish shape onto Carter’s plate._ _

__“Cera!” Carter yells in triumph, before reaching both hands towards the bottle of syrup nearby._ _

__“Not too much, young man,” Cat says from the doorway. Kara turns to regard her with a smile._ _

__“OK, mama,” Carter murmurs as he squeezes out a reasonable amount of syrup with only a little help from James. He giggles just a little when the syrup dribbles down the side and James wipes at it hastily._ _

__“Morning,” Kara says as Cat approaches a bit unsure. That thought is banished when she’s close enough for Kara to snag her by the waist and pull her closer for a kiss._ _

__“Morning,” Cat murmurs when they part, hearing giggles from her son. She parts from her reluctantly and walks behind Carter to kiss the back of his head. “Good morning, Carter.”_ _

__“Mama. Cera,” he points at his plate._ _

__“That is a very beautiful Cera.” She gives Kara a wink over his head and Kara smiles as she returns to her pancake artistry. “Good morning, Marshall,” Cat murmurs in greeting to James, who is sitting quietly in the corner sipping his coffee._ _

__“Good morning, Miss Grant. I hope it’s ok that I’m joining you for breakfast. Carter insisted,” he says with a wry smile._ _

__“Of course. He’s the boss,” she says as she settles on the stool next to her son. A plate is set down in front of her immediately, with the star shaped pancake she has come to expect, but also, one in the shape of a heart that makes her pause. She looks up to meet Kara’s smug smile with one of her own._ _

__“And for our guest,” Kara says as she happily slides 4 round pancakes onto James’ plate._ _

__He frowns. “What? I don’t get cool shapes?”_ _

__“Jimmy, it is a cool shape. It’s basically a portrait,” Kara says as she traces the shape with her fork. “It looks just like your bald head.”_ _

__Carter giggles so hard that Cat raises a hand to hold him onto his chair. “Jimmy pancakes!” he yells and immediately gets a high-five from Kara._ _

__James frowns and turns to Cat. “She’s all yours now.”_ _

__\-----------------------------------------------------------_ _

__As Kara is putting everything away from breakfast, she hums as she looks into the fridge._ _

__“Something wrong?” Cat asks from the bar where she and James were chatting._ _

__“Uh, I think we’ve depleted a lot of the groceries we had due to the storm a couple days back. I guess I should run to pick up a few things?” she asks in question to James, not sure of how much longer they will be here._ _

__“Um. I was hoping to have a flight arranged for all of us for tomorrow morning to get back to National City,” he stops. “This is not set in stone of course, Miss Grant. I was hoping to be able to sit and speak with you about everything to expect today.”_ _

__Cat nods, appreciating his courtesy. “Of course, James. Please, call me Cat…at least while we’re here.”_ _

__He nods with a smile and Kara nods to herself. “Ok, that means at least two more meals and breakfast. I’ll text Astra and head to town to pick up a few things.” She heads toward the bedroom to dress._ _

__Cat and James continue their conversation until she steps back into the kitchen in her worn blue jeans and button-down shirt. “Me go!” Carter says as he comes in the room, half in his boots and trying to tug on his jacket._ _

__“Oh, buddy, I’m not sure that’s a good idea…” Kara trails off, unsure of how to let him down easy._ _

__Cat looks on with affection. “It’s ok with me,” Kara looks up sharply. “You have his car seat, right?”_ _

__“Uh, yeah. Of course,” she says as she reaches down to help him into one of his boots. She tugs his little pants over the top and helps him set his zipper, before tugging it up. He smiles so wide at her she feels tears stinging at the corners of her eyes. She pushes herself to her feet but reaches down a hand. His cool fingers wrap around hers immediately. “It’s…it’s really ok?” she asks quietly, as she sees Cat walk towards them. James slips into the other room with his cell phone in hand and she reminds herself to thank him later._ _

__Cat reaches up to straighten her collar and pulls her down for a quick, warm kiss. “Of course it is. There’s no one on this earth I trust with him more.”_ _

__“Thank…thank you,” Kara breathes, unable to move from her spot. She watches as Cat dips to her knees to pull the zipper up a bit higher on Carter’s jacket._ _

__“Ok, Carter. Kara is in charge. Do everything that she says while you’re with her, ok?” Cat says in a stern, but affectionate mom voice that melts Kara’s insides._ _

__“K, mama,” he says with a nod. “We go Kara big truck.”_ _

__“Yes, little man. Kara will drive her big truck,” Cat kisses him on the forehead before rising to her feet and tugging Kara down by the collar._ _

__“You’ll be fine,” she kisses the worry from Kara’s lips._ _

__\----------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Cat stands at the door as she watches the silver truck head down the driveway, watching until she can barely see movement at the end of the fence-line._ _

__“There’s no safer place for him,” she hears from behind her in the living room. “Kara would never let anything happen to your son.’_ _

__She turns and takes a few steps to look him in the eyes. She sees only kindness and mutual appreciation. “I know,” she sighs. “I’ve known since the moment I met her. She’s the kindest person I’ve ever known.”_ _

__“Me too,” James sighs. “I…I don’t want to speak out of turn, Cat, but I think the universe has brought the two of you together for a reason.”_ _

__“I do, too.” Cat sits on the couch opposite of him in the comfortable living room. They’re surrounded by Kara’s things, by Kara’s paintings and Kara’s…home. She closes her eyes and breathes in deep. “I do, too,” she repeats to James and he gives her a grin._ _

__“Cat, I want to get straight to point about the trial. I have a feeling there are much more important things going on in your life than Maxwell Lord, so getting this over with may the best thing.”_ _

__“You may be right, Marshall,” Cat says as she twirls a lego in her fingers. “What’s on the agenda, James?”_ _

__He’s about to answer when Cat hears a sharp thud and James’ eyes go still. She sees the dart in his neck as he falls, but is unable to catch him before he crumples on the plush living room rug. “James?” she asks hurriedly, as she crouches above him, yanking the dart from his neck and feeling for his pulse._ _

__“Oh. He’s not dead,” a deep, female voice speaks from the hallway. Cat looks up as the brunette comes into view, crossbow in her grasp. “Yet.”_ _

__\------------------------------------------------------------_ _

__Before Kara can even put her truck in park, Astra is headed out the front door with two grocery bags in tow. “Hello, little one…oh, well. Hello, two little ones,” Astra says as she hands over the bags and wiggles her fingers to the little man in the back seat. “Kara, he’s adorable,” she gushes, hanging on to her niece’s arm like a lifeline. “Please, keep him,” Astra whimpers._ _

__“Could you at least try not to scare him?” Kara pleads._ _

__“I would never scare him,” Astra hisses. “Hi, Carter,” to which he raises a hand and wiggles his fingers in greeting._ _

__“Carter, this is my aunt Astra. Can you say Astra?” Kara coaches, bringing about knowing eyes from her aunt._ _

__“Asra?” Carter asks as he continues to wriggle his fingers in greetings._ _

__“Close enough, buddy,” Kara breathes._ _

__“Everything ok?” Astra asks as Kara settles the bags into the passenger side._ _

__“Yeah. Yeah, I think,” Kara pauses. “James showed up last night. Apparently, the trial has been moved up. We’ll be on the move soon.” She keeps her plans vague as always._ _

__“Ok,” Astra nods. “You need anything, you call. Oh! Wait. I made Cat a latte. Let me get it,” she hurries off before Kara can stop her._ _

__“Ok, buddy?” Kara says in the rear-view mirror._ _

__“Yep!”_ _

__Kara laughs at his immediate answer and reaches out a hand to grasp the thermos her aunt is handing through her truck window. “Here ya go, little one.” Kara squeezes in gratitude, then squeezes more when she looks up into her aunt’s eyes in fear at the sudden noise in her ears…in both their ears_ _

__“What, Kara? Is it Cat” Astra asks, recognizing the terror in her niece’s eyes._ _

__She closes her eyes to clear her mind, then hears it again. “Yes, it’s Cat. She’s…screaming for me,” her voice breaks as she scrambles to open the door to her truck._ _

__“Here, sweetie, here,” Astra says as he tugs the door open wide and Kara spills out, grasping her hands at her ears._ _

__Kara rips at her shirt and kicks off the bulky boots at her feet. “Astra…” she breathes out heavily. “Protect him. Send J’onn,” right before she’s gone into the sky in a flutter of snow and thunder._ _

__Astra turns immediately towards their café, but before she can even open her mouth, she sees a black and green blur streak into the sky from behind the building. Tears prick her eyes and she climbs into the open cab of the truck. “Hi Carter,” she says as calmly as possible. “I’m Kara’s aunt Astra.”_ _

__A few seconds go by. “Asra?” she hears in a tiny voice from the back seat._ _

__“Yes, my sweet boy. Now, we’re going to head back towards Kara’s house, ok?” she asks as she puts the truck in reverse and then in drive towards the Danvers ranch._ _

__“Ok!” Carter says clutching his dinosaurs in hand._ _

__“Yes, let’s go protect Kara’s house,” her eyes glow red in the rear-view mirror._ _


	11. Chapter 11

Everything feels…foggy, almost like she’s underwater and Cat winces at the pounding in her head when she tries to open her eyes, until she realizes that the dull rhythmic thump is actually her heartbeat. She rolls her head to the side and feels the ache in the back of her neck and at her temple as she slowly tries to start pulling the pieces together in her head. 

She’s tied up, that’s for sure. She wiggles her fingers a bit and when the numbness chases away, she realizes just how tight;y her hands are bound behind her. She opens her eyes, blinking away the blood that steadily drips into her left eye. She sees hay scattered on the dirt floor. She’s in the barn…she realizes and as her senses kick into full gear, the smell of livestock and the cold ground underneath her bare feet hit her like bricks. Cat gasps in a lungful of air.

“Ah, finally,” she hears him say, before she sees Max Lord’s shiny wingtips come into her limited view. “I told them to keep you quiet, not put you in a coma.” Cat lifts her head with a struggle, trying to see him through the bloody blonde hair impeding her view. “Hard to find good help, ya know?” he asks with a smug grin and his hands held out to the side. 

Cat swallows down the bile she suddenly feels in the back of her throat. She leans her head back on the wooden post she’s bound to. She can hear Artie barking in the field outside and the faint sound of a woman’s voice on the other side of the wall. “What…” her voice cracks as she tries to get her words out, “what do you want?”

Max only laughs, wildly with arms flailing as he walks in a wide circle around the hay covered floor. “What do _I _want?” he stops a few steps in front of her. “What I want is to have never heard your name before in my life. I want the anonymity of my work back. I want to not go to jail…and I want to kill you and your demon offspring and then get on with my life,” he says in a sing-song voice. “Now I have the first part of that equation ready to go. You’re here, ready to die. Just waiting on the demon spawn to be procured…and honestly, I don’t even know why I’m answering your questions,” Max spits, the anger building with every word. “Seeing as you’re the bitch who’s tried to blow apart my entire operation,” he ends in a yell.__

__“You’re hurting people,” she states as calmly as possible, even though the pounding in her head is muffling every sound. “You don’t deserve to be free.”_ _

__“I’m saving the people of _this _planet. The people who matter,” he hisses, pounding at his chest as the words leave his mouth. “ _I’m _the hero, not some freak in primary colors…and I won’t be stopped from my mission by the likes of you.” He paces again and kicks at a clump of hay on the ground. “You know, you probably could give a shit about what I’m doing…you’re probably just in this to make a bigger name for yourself. Couldn’t cut in on daytime tv and a bit too long in the tooth to be a cub reporter,” he sneers as he walks in front of her again. He reaches out a hand to jerk her face up by the chin._____ _

______“I already have a name,” she pants. “It’s ‘Fuck. You.’”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He jerks his hand away and sneers. “You know…I think this chat has gone on long enough, but just so you know,” Cat watches as he pulls a gun from the back of his waistband, “I’ve got men waiting for your precious little boy to come back to the farm.” He smiles, sickeningly sweet. “You won’t be the only one to die for those fucking freaks,” he says as he brings the gun into both hands and lifts it in her direction._ _ _ _ _ _

______Cat wills her eyes to focus, still struggling through the haze of her pounding head and the drip of blood from the cut on her temple. She focuses in on his sneering face, on the barrel of his gun. She closes her eyes one last time and thinks of all the times she has known with everything in her heart that her newfound lover is better than this world. The times when Kara couldn’t be anything but perfect, when she caught her walking in the snow in her bare feet or snagging dishes out of the oven with her bare hands. It brings a smile to her face and she relishes in the knowledge that she will either be safe in her arms or die knowing that she was loved by someone so extraordinary. She levels her stare on his still sneering face. “I’ll gladly take a bullet for those _freaks _. I’ll take one again and again and again…because they’re innocent. They’re innocent and you’re nothing but a coward. So you go ahead and pull that trigger. Go ahead and kill another innocent, but I have one last word for you…” she trails off, watching the gun shake in his hands at her words.___ _ _ _ _ _

________“What’s that word, bitch?” he sneers once again, shifting his sweaty fingers on the grip of his handgun._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cat takes a deep breath and prays that her voice reaches. “KARA!!!” she screams in anguish. “KARA!!” she continues, causing him to jump back in surprise. She continues screaming her lover’s name, shouting out to all that may be able to hear, to save herself…to save her son._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Max starts laughing at her antics, laughing so hard that the grip on his gun loosens and he drops it to his side. He stumbles around in disbelief, waving his gun as he twirls. “Oh. Come on, Cat,” he says snidely. “Do you really think we didn’t check for other people on this farm? Do you really think we didn’t check everything?” he asks incredulously._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________As she lifts her eyes to face him, bloody and beaten, she lets a smile break through. “I have a feeling there’s one thing you overlooked.” Her smile angers him again and he lifts his handgun with a sneer, pulling the trigger before it even levels out. When his bullets fall crumpled to the hay scattered floor, he looks in confusion at the young woman who has suddenly appeared before him, dressed in a black tank top and faded jeans, blonde hair scattered around her shoulders and breathing hard._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“What the fuck are you?” he blurts, stumbling backwards._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kara smiles. “Definitely not what you were expecting,” she says just before melting the gun in his hand with her heat vision._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He falls flat on his ass, clutching at his burning hand. “Aahhh, shit!!” he exclaims, scrambling further and further from Kara on one hand and the heels of his feet until he hits the massive stack of hay behind him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Now…it looks like there may be only one way for you to get out of this situation alive,” Kara says calmly as she takes slow steps to where he’s crumpled on the ground._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ho…How?” he asks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Unconscious,” she says sweetly, before deftly kicking him in the head, careful not to kick it completely off. She turns and is back in front of Cat in less than a second. She burns through the zip-ties binding her to the post and catches her in her arms, runs her hands over her, sweeps her hands up her face. “Cat…” she murmurs like a prayer. “Cat…are you ok?” she asks softly, using her x-ray vision to check for any major issues._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’m…I’m ok,” Cat breathes out in response, clinging to Kara with every ounce of strength she has left. “There’s another one…a woman,” she says quickly, remembering the brunette who shot James with the dart. “She… hurt James.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Got her, Miss Grant,” they hear from the barn’s double doors, as a 7-foot-tall green man walks in dragging the brunette by one leg. Cat watches in awe as the alien transforms in front of her into a handsome dark-skinned man. “My apologies, Kara. I may have punched Marshall Smythe through your barn wall when she attempted to blast me with her meta-human voice,” J’onn says apologetically. “I never liked her, but I’ve always wanted to learn construction. I think this may be the perfect opportunity.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He says it in such a matter-of-fact voice that Kara laughs and pulls Cat closer to her. “Cat, this is my uncle J’onn.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Ma’am,” he responds as if he’s tipping an imaginary cowboy hat. “James is ok, by the way. He’ll have one hell of a headache for the next few days, but he’ll live.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cat clutches Kara tighter. “Kara,” she pleads. “Carter?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“It’s ok, he’s with my aunt. I promise, Cat,” Kara breathes, trying to calm the blonde woman._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“But…he said they were after him too. Kara, we have to find him,” Cat begs, tugging at Kara’s neck._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Cat, he’s ok. I promise,” Kara pledges. “Astra is…like me. Carter is in safe hands,” she says, running her hands up Cat’s cheeks, swiping away the tears, pushing her blood soaked hair out of her face. “And…she’s here,” Kara says, tilting her head in direction of the road, hearing the rumble of her pickup. She reaches down to lift Cat up and into her arms to bring her to the outside of the barn where the three of them see Kara’s silver truck rumbling up the drive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Astra waves when she sees them and swings the truck in wide so that they can see the tailgate down as she parks. Four sets of boots stick out the back, the men piled upon one another in a heap and she hops out of the driver’s seat with a flourish, her long hair flowing and the white streak shining in the sun. “Sorry I’m late. Hit some speed bumps,” she says as J’onn walks up and gives a critical eye to the pile of unconscious muscled men in the back of the truck. She tugs open the back door of the truck and they all look to find Carter happily playing with his dinosaurs in his car seat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cat clutches him close after Kara retrieves him, reaches out a hand to Astra in thanks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Kara, they are both so gorgeous,” Astra side whispers to her as they watch the reunion take place._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I know,” Kara whispers back, reaching out a hand to run her fingers through Carter’s hair._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Mama,” Carter says excitedly. “Mama, An Asra kicked the guys. She kicked the guys like ninja turtles.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“She did?” Cat asks, unable to keep more tears from falling._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“An Asra is good ninja turtle,” he says with conviction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Astra looks at Kara intently. “I must have missed this one. Turtles? Ninjas?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________J’onn interjects, “You’ll like them, Astra. They love pizza.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Oh! Well, we all know how much I love Italian. No problem there,” she says as if all their problems are solved. “Now, what to do with the naughty children.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I’ll go rouse James,” J’onn says. “I’m sure we can get a pick-up pretty quickly,” he says as he transforms and lifts into the air, shooting off towards the house in a second.  
Kara is a bit in a daze as she splits her attention between Cat and Carter and the half-dozen unconscious people lying about. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Kara. Get them in the truck to keep warm,” Astra says. “I’ll take care of the riff-raff.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“O…Ok,” she stutters._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Astra catches her arm. “Kara, darling. Everything is ok.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kara breathes out deeply. “Ok,” she nods before reaching out a hand to Cat’s elbow to lead her to the backseat. “Get in. We’ll head to the house in just a few minutes, ok?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cat can only nod as she lifts herself into the backseat and clutches her son closer. “We’re alright, Kara,” she whispers fiercely._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kara nods and reaches out a hand to Carter’s back. “I know,” she says with a smile. “We…we’re ok?” she asks, looking down at herself. It’s snowing now and she’s standing there in a tank top and socks._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“We’re fine,” Cat says. “Just like we’ve always been,” she snags Kara’s hand and squeezes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I guess we have a lot to talk about,” Kara murmurs as she watches Astra hurl Siobhan into the bed of the truck like a sack of flour._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“A conversation is needed,” Cat says lightly as she warms under the trucks heated interior. She feels the tingles of feeling come back to her bare feet. “But it won’t change anything,” she says with a smile. “I knew already anyway,” she says with as much of a smirk as she can manage at the moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kara rolls her eyes, then chuckles as she sees her aunt roll Maxwell Lord on the ground like a log until he’s close to the back of the truck. “Yeah, yeah,” she starts to step away, but then draws back. “You wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t mentioned Clark.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Cat ponders. “I would have had suspicions.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Kara narrows her eyes. “We may have to agree to disagree.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Agreed.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________\-------------------------------------------------------------_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep,” Cat whispers from her side of the bed, settled in after a long afternoon of alphabet men sweeping in to gather the ‘riff-raff’ as Astra had called them._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I know. Me either,” Kara says softly, trying not to wake the little boy in between them. “But just in case we do fall asleep, that’s why J’onn and Astra are in the living room,” she whispers._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Your aunt and uncle are hilarious,” Cat whispers back with a smirk._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I know…” Kara sighs. “She’s from Krypton and he’s from Mars. What do you expect?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“I have no idea,” Cat chuckles. She runs her fingers along the rise of Kara’s cheek. “I…I love you, Kara,” she whispers, “and I know Carter loves you too and I know it’s too soon to say that, but…” she rushes out in a heated breath._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“That’s good,” Kara interrupts her as she lifts onto her elbow. “Because I love you too,” she says against Cat’s lips as she kisses her. “And I love your son,” she breathes as she curls around him to hold her. “And you have me and my family ready to protect you at every turn.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“Does the government even realize the level of witness protection you people provide?” Cat asks in disbelief._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“They may have an inkling,” Kara says with a glint in her eye, thinking of a very smartly dressed brunette settled in the white house at this very moment._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick, fluffy end to the head-canon that has kept me busy for months. Long live cowgirl!kara.

\---One year later---

“Blue?” a little voice asks from her left side.

Kara sets her paintbrush down and swipes a few stray hairs out of her face with her clean hand. She looks down to see Carter, his hands covered in a variety of colors, looking up at her expectantly. “Need more blue, buddy?” She can’t help but laugh at his serious expression. He stares at his canvas…finger sized streaks of color against the white paper background. 

He nods. “Yes, Kara. Need more blue to make sky.”

She wipes her hands on the towel she keeps hanging on her easel and falls to her knees beside her favorite guy to rummage in the finger-paint stash. “Here you go,” she opens the small container and sets it out among his palette of colors. She hears the low rumble of a car coming up the drive and watches as Carter trots over to look out of their favorite window in the house. It looks out over Kara’s fields, with the striking rise of the mountains in the distance. “That Uncle Jonn?” she asks distractedly, straightening the sheet of plastic that rests underneath Carter’s own tiny easel.

“Mama!” he yells excitedly, almost tripping over his own feet as he takes off towards the front of the house.

As surprised and excited as she is to see her lover pulling up in the drive, Kara doesn’t forget, “Don’t touch anything Carter!” She grabs her towel and shoots to the front of the house, catching his paint covered hands before they can rest on anything. He giggles and bounces as he sees his mama stepping down out of her black SUV and Kara shoots a wide smile towards the woman, still trying to catch most of the paint before the 4-year-old creates a masterpiece on their front door. Finally clean, she pushes the door open and watches as Carter wraps around his mother’s legs on the top step of their home.

“Mama! You early,” he laughs happily as Cat stoops down to kiss his head and wrap her arms around him. 

“I am. I thought I’d surprise you two,” she smiles up at her tall lover. She’s dressed in all black except for the tight shirt under her fitted jacket and Kara can’t take her eyes off of her.

“You did,” Kara breathes as she steps closer and tugs her up and close enough to kiss. “We’ve missed you, Miss Grant.”

“Hmm. I missed you too, Marshall,” Cat murmurs just before catching her lips. 

“Mama, Kara got you surprise!” Carter interrupts as he turns and darts inside the door, back into the warm refuge of the living room. “Mama! Come see tree!”

“Tree? Already?” Cat asks slyly. “It’s only November, Kara.”

“So sue me. I love Christmas,” Kara says with a shrug.

Cat circles her arms around her thin waist and pulls her closer. “I know you do. So do I, now that we have you to share it with.”

Kara drops her head again and kisses her softly. “Let’s warm you up and you can tell me why you’re home early.”

“I told you, I just wanted to surprise you,” Cat murmurs as she trails along behind her in the door.

“Mmmhmm. You can tell me the real reason later,” Kara smiles as she shuts the door behind her and relishes in having her family home again.

\----------------------------------------------------

“This is…gorgeous, Kara,” Cat breathes out as she runs her fingers along the edge of the canvas. She lifts her head to spy the others propped up against the wall behind it and sees the patterns of color and brushstrokes which tie them all together. “This is the order for the gallery? They are getting so much more than what they’re expecting.” She shakes her head in disbelief.

“You…you think so?” Kara questions. She fidgets with her fingers before stuffing them in the back pockets of her worn blue jeans. The baggy sweatpants that Cat has changed into only distracts her more at the moment. 

Cat turns on her in amazement. “I definitely think so. I know you were hesitant, darling…but, having something to shoot for has only brought out what I knew you were capable of. It’s…it’s amazing. Honestly, you’re going to have to go into hiding to keep them from hounding you,” she smiles as she slides her hands around Kara’s shoulders. “They’re beautiful. Just like you,” she whispers.

“Your son definitely helped,” Kara grins as she pulls Cat closer. “My grasp on color theory has been greatly improved by his selection of finger-paints.” 

“Our son,” Cat whispers, catching Kara’s eyes. “One part of your surprise…everything is official.” She can’t help but grin as she sees the tears form in the corners of her very own cowgirl’s eyes.

“Official?” Kara exhales. “Ou…our son?” 

“Yes, baby,” Cat beams. “And when we have that wedding we’ve been talking about, we’ll figure out the names.”

She buries her face in Cat’s neck, breathing her in deep as she feels her small hands thread through her hair. “I love you,” Kara whimpers, almost in disbelief that she can have her dreams come true.

“I love you, too,” the older woman breathes. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

With Carter tucked away for the night, Kara sits in front of both the fireplace and the Christmas tree with her arms full of Cat. As she kisses her way down the smooth expanse of the woman’s throat, she relishes in the warmth she’s been missing while Cat has been away negotiating the terms of her book deal. “How did your meetings go?”

“Really good,” Cat breathes heavily, easily affected by Kara’s attentions. “Release date is set. Book tour shortened per my specifications.”

“Shortened?” Kara asks, lifting her head to look into green eyes. “I thought they had a 10-week tour booked already?”

“They did, but I changed it,” Cat says. “I’m doing two appearances…the morning talk shows and that’s it.”

“I…I don’t understand, Cat. I thought the tour was set. In between those is when I have trips to National City set up for the gallery openings and…” Kara stops when she feels soft fingers on her lips.

“It worked,” Cat says simply.

Kara stares at her blankly. She blinks. “What…what worked?” she asks softly.

“It worked the first time,” Cat whispers, lifting her hands to the sides of Kara’s face. She leans forward to rest their foreheads together. “I felt…sick this morning,” she feels as Kara’s body tenses. “I’m fine,” she promises. “I felt sick…so I went in to get checked out. It worked,” she says simply. “Even though we thought it might take a while.”

Kara still stares blankly, but finally her eyes drop from Cat’s face to her stomach and she inhales deeply. “It worked,” she repeats. Kara catches her eyes again. “It worked,” she says more firmly. “We’re…”

“We’re having a baby,” Cat breathes, dipping her head again to rest against Kara’s. “Surprise…” she teases.

“Oh, Rao…” Kara exhales loudly.

“I love it when you’re reduced to Kryptonian.”

Kara ignores her teasing and lifts Cat in her arms enough to lay her out on the soft blanket in front of the fireplace. She hovers over her instantly, settling in between her thighs and pulling her close. “I want to marry you,” she says simply. “As soon as possible.”

“Very decisive. I like that, Danvers.”

“I may have decided that the first moment I saw you,” Kara confesses. 

“Yes, I remember that,” Cat says looking into sky blue eyes. “You were on the back of a horse, much like you are most of the time you’re outdoors.”

“I’m your ‘mid-life crisis, cowgirl fantasy’ after all,” Kara teases. “Your words.”

“My words.” 

“We’ll build our family here,” Kara whispers. “Leaving when we need to, of course…”

“But we’ll always come back,” Cat says as she tugs Kara even closer. “This is the place where I fell in love with you, Kara Danvers. It will be the place where we raise our kids. The place where we grow together.”

“The place where you write in front of the west windows with those adorable glasses on your face…”

Cat laughs. “The place where I watch you teach your sister’s girlfriend how to ride a horse.”

Kara cocks her head. “Maggie needs lessons, that’s for sure. Maybe I’ll start a class. Lucy Lane has never been on the back of a horse…or her fiancé,” Kara smiles, thinking of her former partner, James.

“You get Lois on the back of Mason and I’ll be in your debt for life,” Cat laughs, imagining the brunette on the gigantic horse’s back.

“You’re mine already, aren’t you?” Kara whispers into her lips, watching as the fire’s light dances on the deep green of her eyes.

“I am yours completely, Kara,” Cat confesses. “Since the first moment I saw you, I’ve been yours, heart and soul.”

Kara looks into her eyes. “It happens to the best of us, right?” she smiles.

“Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> txnmcky on tumblr


End file.
